Re: build/1411: Build of gdb-6.0 on hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.20 fails

[Daniel Jacobowitz <drow at mvista dot com>]

The following reply was made to PR build/1411; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Daniel Jacobowitz <drow@mvista.com>
To: John David Anglin <dave@hiauly1.hia.nrc.ca>
Cc: chastain@sourceware.org, gdb-gnats@sources.redhat.com
Subject: Re: build/1411: Build of gdb-6.0 on hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.20 fails
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 15:29:01 -0500

 On Sun, Dec 14, 2003 at 08:08:00PM -0000, John David Anglin wrote:
 >  I'm currently using 5.0 under hpux 10.20.  It's definitely true that
 >  the code has been rotting.  The old Utah versions were probably about
 >  the best.  My impression is that HP got ideas to enhance gdb and added
 >  a lot of of poorly integrated features that contributed to the rot.
 >  
 >  My desire for newer versions is mainly to get better support for
 >  debugging C++ and languages other than C.
 >  
 >  Some of the problems that I see in using gdb are:
 >  
 >  1) Poor frame recognition in stack traces.  Sometimes it's not possible
 >     to do a backtrace.
 >  
 >  2) Problems recognizing complex symbols.
 >  
 >  3) Problems following forks.
 >  
 >  4) Crashes and getting confused to the point that I have to quit a session.
 >  
 >  5) p function () segfaults under hppa-linux.  This problem has been fixed
 >     a couple of times but it seems to keep coming back.
 >  
 >  6) There seem to be some dwarf2 problems on hppa64.
 
 In an earlier message you said:
   It appears from your response that PA-RISC support within the
   gdb project is seriously threatened.
 
 Michael's reassuring comments aside, I believe this is true.  I've been
 repeatedly requesting various members of the debian-hppa project to
 clean up and contribue the hppa-linux patches we (Debian) use for GDB
 and have been unable to find a volunteer.  They include an entirely
 rewritten target (pa-tdep instead of hppa-tdep, IIRC), which is now
 full of bitrot and deprecated methods just like the existing one.
 
 I don't know if hppa-linux builds from CVS.  I'd be surprised if it
 worked, even if it does build.
 
 Without a maintainer I don't know how long this code can survive.
 
 -- 
 Daniel Jacobowitz
 MontaVista Software                         Debian GNU/Linux Developer