gdb uses solib_open() to open solibs via open(), openp(), or 
ops->find_and_open_solib(), using the O_RDONLY flag.  Later, bfd_open uses
    fdopen(filedescriptor_from_solib_open, "rb")
to change the text/binary mode (to binary) on platforms where that 
matters -- like cygwin and mingw.

Now, cygwin's fdopen implementation does the right thing and does, in 
fact, change the mode to binary.  So, on cygwin, this "bug" has no 
practical effect; this is not true for mingw, where the mode is NOT 
changed to binary (which leads to all sorts of problems parsing the file).

However, even on cygwin, it's still *wrong* for gdb to open a solib 
(which is by definition a binary object) in text mode -- even if it gets 
"fixed" later by bfd_open().  So IMO this patch is "the right thing" for 
both cygwin and mingw, even tho there is no observable change in 
cygwin's behavior -- and it DOES fix a serious bug on mingw.

Oh, and about the #ifndef O_BINARY stuff in this .c file: look at 
gdb/source.c before commenting.  Also, as this patch adds only three 
non-blank lines and modifies only six more (all in exactly the same 
way), I believe it falls under the FSF definition of trivial.

2006-02-17  Charles Wilson  <...>

	* gdb/solib.c(solib_open): ensure solib files are opened in
	binary mode.

--
Chuck