From owner-freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Thu Jan 9 15:56:19 2020 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@mailman.nyi.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2610:1c1:1:606c::19:1]) by mailman.nyi.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D1C281F2020; Thu, 9 Jan 2020 15:56:19 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kostikbel@gmail.com) Received: from kib.kiev.ua (kib.kiev.ua [IPv6:2001:470:d5e7:1::1]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) server-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits)) (Client did not present a certificate) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 47trM744Jrz4KHT; Thu, 9 Jan 2020 15:56:19 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kostikbel@gmail.com) Received: from tom.home (kib@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by kib.kiev.ua (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTPS id 009FuBbi074768 (version=TLSv1.3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256 verify=NO); Thu, 9 Jan 2020 17:56:14 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from kostikbel@gmail.com) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.10.3 kib.kiev.ua 009FuBbi074768 Received: (from kostik@localhost) by tom.home (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) id 009FuAu2074767; Thu, 9 Jan 2020 17:56:10 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from kostikbel@gmail.com) X-Authentication-Warning: tom.home: kostik set sender to kostikbel@gmail.com using -f Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2020 17:56:10 +0200 From: Konstantin Belousov To: Ed Maste Cc: freebsd-arch , FreeBSD Ports Subject: Re: Retiring GNU objdump 2.17.50 Message-ID: <20200109155610.GA23031@kib.kiev.ua> References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,BAYES_00, DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED,FORGED_GMAIL_RCVD,FREEMAIL_FROM, NML_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.3 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.3 (2019-12-06) on tom.home X-Rspamd-Queue-Id: 47trM744Jrz4KHT X-Spamd-Bar: ----- Authentication-Results: mx1.freebsd.org; none X-Spamd-Result: default: False [-6.00 / 15.00]; NEURAL_HAM_MEDIUM(-1.00)[-0.998,0]; NEURAL_HAM_LONG(-1.00)[-0.999,0]; REPLY(-4.00)[] X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.29 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2020 15:56:19 -0000 On Thu, Jan 09, 2020 at 10:31:55AM -0500, Ed Maste wrote: > We currently install and use at most three tools from GNU binutils > 2.17.50, depending on target architecture: > > 1. as - assembler > 2. ld - linker > 3. objdump - diagnostic / information tool > > I hope to retire all use of these obsolete binutils before FreeBSD 13. > Here I'd like to discuss objdump. It is a diagnostic tool that > provides information about object files, binaries and libraries. It's > not required as a bootstrap tool (i.e., not needed to build FreeBSD > world or kernel). It is required to build a limited number of ports, > and is used by some developers. > > I have a tracking PR for GNU objdump's retirement open in PR 229046. > https://bugs.freebsd.org/229046. > > There are two ways we can proceed with its retirement: > > 1. Remove it without replacement. Ports that need objdump to build > will have to depend on the binutils package/port, and users who wish > to use it will have to install it. > > Related links for this path: > Ports exp-run: https://bugs.freebsd.org/212319 > Patch review: https://reviews.freebsd.org/D7338 > > 2. Install llvm-objdump in its place (perhaps via a symlink). > llvm-objdump is broadly compatible in both command-line argument > parsing and output format, but there are many small differences and > it's not a full drop-in replacement. > > Related links for this path: > Patch review: https://reviews.freebsd.org/D18307 > > I am interested in feedback on the preferred approach. Installing > llvm's objdump has the advantage that for most use cases everything > will "just work", but may also introduce subtle failures. IMO no. 1 is preferrable because we do not need to track differences, nor we need to explain them. Having to install binutils port is not a high cost, and if somebody needs details about binary at the level provided by objdump, including disassembler, she would need binutils port anyway.