Re: [patch] -iex and -ix: Execute them _after_ gdbinits

Jan Kratochvil
2012-06-16T21:32:34Z

On Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:14:15 +0200, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> My concern is about what happens before ~/.gdbinit is loaded, so
> nothing that happens after that can resolve that.

I do not understand which command would you want to run before ~/.gdbinit.
Real world ~/.gdbinit should only change settings or define new commands.

> > I have not found a use case where the current behavior is better.
>
> It doesn't have to be better. It has the advantage of being there
> first. It's the new behavior that must have a significant advantage
> to justify an incompatible change of behavior.

The idea is that this is not a "change" as 7.4 did not have -iex at all.
-iex/-ix is a new feature for 7.5 so I am trying to make it right before it
becomes a standard.

> But setting auto-load is not the only thing I can do with -iex. I can
> have any number of commands there which have nothing to do with
> safe-path and stuff.

It can affect only commands/settings which have some influence on the loading
of inferior. There are not so many of such settings.

Besides safe-path also "set debug-file-directory" and associated "set
sysroot", not sure which more commands, if any.

"set debug-file-directory" - if set in /etc/gdbinit or ~/.gdbinit - currently
also cannot be overriden by -iex.

> We are removing a potentially useful feature for reasons that were not
> justified well enough. Are there any reasons beyond the auto-load
> issue? If not, I submit the reasons are not grave enough for the
> change, certainly not in a minor release.

[again]
The idea is that this is not a "change" as 7.4 did not have -iex at all.
-iex/-ix is a new feature for 7.5 so I am trying to make it right before it
becomes a standard.

auto-load general acceptance looks to be bad so far so I try to improve its
user visible interface as best as I can.

> And I don't see why we should pay so much attention to what Fedora
> does in its GDB distribution.

This is unrelated to Fedora. If I looked at Fedora then I can say that the
current -iex/-ix is already an established standard and it cannot be changed
anymore. I do track FSF gdb-7.5 release for this change.

> For example, I always build my own GDB, on any platform I work, and I don't
> see why I should be punished because Fedora does something.

I really do not understand meaning of this paragraph. I specifically care
about FSF GDB release at this moment where the change in some way may
negatively affect F17 users where the current behavior is already deployed.

Still I do not think this change can anyhow negatively affect -iex use.

Thanks,
Jan