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Re: [PATCH] Accept DWARF 3-format debug info
- From: David Anderson <davea42 at earthlink dot net>
- To: Daniel Jacobowitz <dan at codesourcery dot com>
- Cc: Jimb at codesourcery dot com, julian at codesourcery dot com, gdb-patches at sourceware dot org
- Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 16:14:48 -0700
- Subject: Re: [PATCH] Accept DWARF 3-format debug info
- Reply-to: davea42 at earthlink dot net
Damiel writes, about a supposed change in DW_FORM_ref_addr:
>References that use the attribute form DW_FORM_ref_addr are specified
>to be four bytes in the DWARF 32-bit format and eight bytes in
the
>DWARF 64-bit format, while DWARF Version 2 specifies that such
>references have the same size as an address on the target
system >(see Sections 7.4 and 7.5.4).
This is a correct observation, but *the dwarf 2 document was wrong*.
We did this late in 1992 and simply botched the document.
Confusion and tiredness :-(
Same size as an address simply makes no sense, never did.
Till very recently I don't think anyone used DW_FORM_ref_addr.
I did get an inquiry from one person (about dwarfdump) that proved
one compiler supplier believes the dwarf2 document on this point. Recent
inquiry, I mean.
There should still be FAQ on dwarf.freestandards.org which
says the DWARF2 doc was/is wrong (I wrote that FAQ).
What the dwarf3 doc says is what we always intended. It's an offset,
not an address. Misleading name of the form...
David Anderson (davea@sgi.com, writing from home)