Mailing-List: contact cygwin-apps-help AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com; run by ezmlm
Sender: cygwin-apps-owner AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com
List-Subscribe: <mailto:cygwin-apps-subscribe AT sources DOT redhat DOT com>
List-Archive: <http://sources.redhat.com/ml/cygwin-apps/>
List-Post: <mailto:cygwin-apps AT sources DOT redhat DOT com>
List-Help: <mailto:cygwin-apps-help AT sources DOT redhat DOT com>, <http://sources.redhat.com/lists.html#faqs>
Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin-apps AT sources DOT redhat DOT com
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 11:08:29 +0100
From: Corinna Vinschen <vinschen AT redhat DOT com>
To: cygwin-apps <cygwin-apps AT cygwin DOT com>
Subject: Re: ld  ---export--all --exclude-libs,?
Message-ID: <20011121110829.B24327@cygbert.vinschen.de>
Reply-To: cygwin-apps AT cygwin DOT com
Mail-Followup-To: cygwin-apps <cygwin-apps AT cygwin DOT com>
References: <20011121084158 DOT 22945 DOT qmail AT web14501 DOT mail DOT yahoo DOT com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i
In-Reply-To: <20011121084158.22945.qmail@web14501.mail.yahoo.com>; from danny_r_smith_2001@yahoo.co.nz on Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 07:41:58PM +1100

On Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 07:41:58PM +1100, Danny Smith wrote:
> Hello, I'm after some criticism, before submitting this to binutils.
> 
> IMO, the auto-export feature of ld needs (at least) an option to exclude
> whole libs from export. The following patch does that. It also adds a few
> more default lib excludes and scans for backward compat implib symbols
> (__imp_) 
> 
> I think this patch doesn't do enough.
> 
> My preference would be to exclude *all* libs by default, with a command
> line option to explicity *include* named libs.  Why? It is too easy for
> licensed library code to sneak into dll's using --export-all. This affects
> distributability (sic) of the dll and apps dependent on the dll.
> The user may be unaware of this infection because its automatic.
> At least make the user think about what she/he is exporting.
> 
> I will gladly throw away the following to work on a patch to exclude all
> libs by default if given encouragement.
> 
> Any comments.

Yes, a question.  First note that I'm a binutils (l)user, not a
developer so I apologize for being thick.  Now the question:

Isn't the functionality you're searching for already in ld given by
the --no-whole-archive options?

  gcc -shared -o cygfoo.dll $(OBJ)
      -Wl,--out-implib,libfoo.dll.a
      -Wl,--no-whole-archive -lbar -lbaz

Or am I missing the point?

Corinna

-- 
Corinna Vinschen                  Please, send mails regarding Cygwin to
Cygwin Developer                                mailto:cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Red Hat, Inc.