[PATCH RFC 0/2] Remove -readnow

Tom Tromey
2026-02-11T18:50:14Z

This short series removes the -readnow feature and then some
supporting code.

The justification is all in the first patch.

Regression tested on x86-64 Fedora 40.

Signed-off-by: Tom Tromey <tom@tromey.com>
---
Tom Tromey (2):
Remove "readnow" support
Remove quick_symbol_functions::expand_all_symtabs

gdb/NEWS | 4 +
gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo | 23 +----
gdb/dwarf2/cooked-index.h | 6 --
gdb/dwarf2/read.c | 101 +--------------------
gdb/dwarf2/read.h | 4 +-
gdb/expanded-symbol.h | 4 -
gdb/machoread.c | 2 +-
gdb/main.c | 24 +----
gdb/objfile-flags.h | 11 +--
gdb/objfiles.h | 3 -
gdb/psymtab.c | 10 --
gdb/psymtab.h | 2 -
gdb/quick-symbol.h | 3 -
gdb/symfile-debug.c | 11 ---
gdb/symfile.c | 83 ++++-------------
gdb/symfile.h | 6 +-
gdb/symmisc.c | 14 +--
gdb/testsuite/boards/README | 3 +-
gdb/testsuite/boards/readnow.exp | 27 ------
gdb/testsuite/gdb.ada/call_pn.exp | 9 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.ada/data-sections.exp | 8 +-
.../gdb.arch/arm-pthread_cond_timedwait-bt.exp | 4 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/bfd-errors.exp | 10 +-
.../gdb.base/break-on-linker-gcd-function.exp | 9 --
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/c-linkage-name.exp | 23 ++---
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/cached-source-file.exp | 3 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/code_elim.exp | 15 ---
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/include-main.exp | 6 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/index-cache.exp | 4 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/list-ambiguous-readnow.exp | 22 -----
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/main-c.exp | 2 -
.../gdb.base/maint-expand-symbols-header-file.exp | 4 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/maint.exp | 20 ++--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/readnever.exp | 25 -----
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/relocate.exp | 27 +++---
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/signed-builtin-types.exp | 5 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/style.exp | 11 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.cp/main-cp.exp | 2 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.cp/nsalias.exp | 12 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.cp/psymtab-parameter.exp | 6 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.cp/readnow-language.cc | 22 -----
gdb/testsuite/gdb.cp/readnow-language.exp | 27 ------
.../gdb.debuginfod/build-id-no-debug-warning.exp | 2 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.debuginfod/crc_mismatch.exp | 2 +-
.../gdb.dwarf2/backward-spec-inter-cu.exp | 1 -
.../debug-aranges-duplicate-offset-warning.exp | 19 ++--
.../gdb.dwarf2/debug-names-missing-cu.exp | 4 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/debug-names-tu.exp.tcl | 4 -
.../gdb.dwarf2/dw-form-strx-out-of-bounds.exp | 4 -
.../gdb.dwarf2/dw2-bad-parameter-type.exp | 2 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-error.exp | 1 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-icycle.exp | 11 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-missing-cu-tag.exp | 22 +----
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-modula2-self-type.exp | 2 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-stack-boundary.exp | 5 -
.../gdb.dwarf2/dw2-symtab-includes-lookup.exp | 6 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-symtab-includes.exp | 4 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp | 15 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-var-zero-addr.exp | 9 --
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-zero-range.exp | 22 ++---
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw4-sig-type-unused.exp | 7 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dwznolink.exp | 6 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/enum-type-c++.exp | 2 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/enum-type.exp | 1 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/forward-spec-inter-cu.exp | 1 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/forward-spec.exp | 2 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/gdb-index-nodebug.exp | 3 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/gdb-index-tilde.exp | 3 -
.../gdb.dwarf2/gdb-index-types-dwarf5.exp | 4 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/gdb-index.exp | 3 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/macro-complaints.exp | 1 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/multidictionary.exp | 10 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/no-expand-mixed-case.exp | 2 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/nostaticblock.exp | 7 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/per-bfd-sharing.exp | 11 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/self-spec.exp | 2 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.fortran/info-main.exp | 14 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.gdb/index-file.exp | 3 -
gdb/testsuite/gdb.gdb/python-helper.exp | 2 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/mi-info-sources.exp | 6 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.multi/remove-inferiors.exp | 3 +-
gdb/testsuite/gdb.opt/break-on-_exit.exp | 6 --
gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-symbol.exp | 11 +--
gdb/testsuite/gdb.server/target-exec-file.exp | 7 --
gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/detach-step-over.exp | 3 +-
gdb/testsuite/lib/gdb.exp | 21 +----
gdb/testsuite/lib/mi-support.exp | 8 --
gdb/testsuite/make-check-all.sh | 1 -
88 files changed, 140 insertions(+), 762 deletions(-)
---
base-commit: 0fb67a2cf68660cbda609ba57f1c179dc6373da3
change-id: 20260211-nuke-readnow-f826a37ee233

Best regards,
--
Tom Tromey <tom@tromey.com>