DWARF Version 4 Released

[Michael Eager <eager at eagercon dot com>]

DWARF Version 4 Released
March 17, 2010

The DWARF Debugging Information Format Committee is pleased to announce the
availability of the public review draft of Version 4 of the DWARF Debugging
Information Format standard. The DWARF debugging format is used to communicate
information between a compiler and debugger to make it easier for programmers to
develop, test, and debug programs.

DWARF is used by commercial and open source compilers and debuggers to support
debugging of Ada, C, C++, Cobol, Fortran, Java, and several other programming
languages. DWARF is used with many processors: ARM, Intel/AMD x86, MIPS,
PowerPC, and many others, from 8-bit to 64-bit. DWARF is the standard debugging
format for Linux and is widely used with embedded processors. DWARF is designed
to be extended easily to support new languages and new processors. DWARF Version
4 is compatible with Version 3, making it easy for compiler and debugger
developers to upgrade their development tools. Most programmers will not notice
the differences when using compilers or debuggers that use DWARF Version 4,
although they may see improvements in debugging their programs.

The DWARF Committee consists of representatives from a broad range of companies,
including Apple, ARM, CodeSourcery, Concurrent Computer, Eager Consulting,
Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, RedHat, SGI, Sun Microsystems, and TotalView, as
well as unaffiliated individuals with significant experience in compiler and
debugger development.

Michael Eager, Chair of the DWARF Committee, said "we have made significant
improvements in Version 4 since the previous version was released in 2006. These
include improved data compression, better description of optimized code, and
support for new language features in C++. Debugging programs can be difficult.
Providing the best quality information to programmers can make this easier."

The DWARF Version 4 standard can be downloaded without charge from the DWARF
website (http://dwarfstd.org). The DWARF Committee will accept public comments
on DWARF Version 4 until May 31, after which a finalized version will be
published. Additional information about DWARF, including how to subscribe to the
DWARF mailing list, can also be found on the website. Questions about the DWARF
Debugging Information Format or the DWARF Committee can be directed to the DWARF
Committee Chair, Michael Eager, at mailto:info@dwarfstd.org.

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Michael Eager	 eager@eagercon.com
1960 Park Blvd., Palo Alto, CA 94306  650-325-8077