-Contents
---------
+If you find inaccuracies in this list, please send mail to
+gdb-patches@sourceware.cygnus.com. If you would like to work on any
+of these, you should consider sending mail to the same address, to
+find out whether anyone else is working on it.
+
+
+ GDB 5.1 - Fixes
+ ===============
+
+Below is a list of problems identified during the GDB 5.0 release
+cycle. People hope to have these problems fixed in 5.1.
+
+--
+
+RFD: infrun.c: No bpstat_stop_status call after proceed over break?
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00665.html
+
+GDB misses watchpoint triggers after proceeding over a breakpoint on
+x86 targets.
+
+--
+
+x86 linux GDB and SIGALRM (???)
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00803.html
+
+This problem has been fixed, but a regression test still needs to be
+added to the testsuite:
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00309.html
+
+Mark
+
+--
+
+Can't build IRIX -> arm GDB.
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-04/msg00356.html
+
+David Whedon writes:
+> Now I'm building for an embedded arm target. If there is a way of turning
+> remote-rdi off, I couldn't find it. It looks like it gets built by default
+> in gdb/configure.tgt(line 58) Anyway, the build dies in
+> gdb/rdi-share/unixcomm.c. SERPORT1 et. al. never get defined because we
+> aren't one of the architectures supported.
+
+--
+
+Problem with weak functions
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-05/msg00060.html
+
+Dan Nicolaescu writes:
+> It seems that gdb-4.95.1 does not display correctly the function when
+> stoping in weak functions.
+>
+> It stops in a function that is defined as weak, not in the function
+> that is actually run...
+
+--
+
+GDB 5.0 doesn't work on Linux/SPARC
+
+--
+
+Thread support. Right now, as soon as a thread finishes and exits,
+you're hosed. This problem is reported once a week or so.
+
+--
+
+Wow, three bug reports for the same problem in one day! We should
+probably make fixing this a real priority :-).
+
+Anyway, thanks for reporting.
+
+The following patch will fix the problems with setting breakpoints in
+dynamically loaded objects:
+
+ http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00230.html
+
+This patch isn't checked in yet (ping Michael/JimB), but I hope this
+will be in the next GDB release.
+
+There should really be a test in the testsuite for this problem, since
+it keeps coming up :-(. Any volunteers?
+
+Mark
+
+--
+
+Re: GDB 5.0.1?
+http://sources.redhat.com/ml/gdb/2000-07/msg00038.html
+
+Is the Solaris 8 x86 problem fixed? When you configure it, configure
+incorrectly determines that I have no curses.h. This causes mucho
+compilation errors later on.
+
+Simply editing the config.h to define CURSES_H fixes the problem, and
+then the build works fine.
+
+The status for this problem:
+
+Solaris 8 x86 (PIII-560)
+gcc 2.95.2
+
+I had the same problem with several of the snapshots shortly before
+5.0 became official, and 5.0 has the same problem.
+
+I sent some mail in about it long ago, and never saw a reply.
+
+I haven't had time to figure it out myself, especially since I get all
+confused trying to figure out what configure does, I was happy to find
+the workaround.
+
+Mike
+
+--
+
+ GDB 5.1 - New features
+ ======================
+
+The following new features should be included in 5.1.
+
+--
+
+Enable MI by default. Old code can be deleted after 5.1 is out.
+
+--
+
+Pascal (Pierre Muller, David Taylor)
+
+Pierre Muller has contributed patches for adding Pascal Language
+support to GDB.
+
+2 pascal language patches inserted in database
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00521.html
+
+Indent -gnu ?
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00496.html
+
+--
+
+Java (Anthony Green, David Taylor)
+
+Anthony Green has a number of Java patches that did not make it into
+the 5.0 release. The first two are in cvs now, but the third needs
+some fixing up before it can go in.
+
+Patch: java tests
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00512.html
+
+Patch: java booleans
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00515.html
+
+Patch: handle N_MAIN stab
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00527.html
+
+--
+
+[Comming...]
+
+Modify gdb to work correctly with Pascal.
+
+--
+
+Revised UDP support (was: Re: [Fwd: [patch] UDP transport support])
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-04/msg00000.html
+
+(Broken) support for GDB's remote protocol across UDP is to be
+included in the follow-on release.
+
+It should be noted that UDP can only work when the [Gg] packet fits in
+a single UDP packet.
+
+There is also much debate over the merit of this.
+
+--
+
+ GDB 5.1 - Cleanups
+ ==================
+
+The following code cleanups will hopefully be applied to GDB 5.1.
+
+--
+
+Change documentation to GFDL license.
+
+``It is time to make an effort to start using the GFDL more
+thoroughly. Would all GNU maintainers please change the license to
+the GFDL, for all manuals and other major documentation files?
+
+The GFDL and some instructions for using it can be found in
+http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/''
+
+ RMS
+
+--
+
+Delete macro TARGET_BYTE_ORDER_SELECTABLE.
+
+Patches in the database.
+
+--
+
+Fix copyright notices.
+
+Turns out that ``1998-2000'' isn't considered valid :-(
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00467.html
+
+--
+
+Purge PARAMS.
+
+Eliminate all uses of PARAMS in GDB's source code.
+
+--
+
+printcmd.c (print_address_numeric):
+
+NOTE: This assumes that the significant address information is kept in
+the least significant bits of ADDR - the upper bits were either zero
+or sign extended. Should ADDRESS_TO_POINTER() or some
+ADDRESS_TO_PRINTABLE() be used to do the conversion?
+
+--
+
+Compiler warnings.
+
+Eliminate all warnings for at least one host/target for the flags:
+-Wimplicit -Wreturn-type -Wcomment -Wtrigraphs -Wformat -Wparentheses
+-Wpointer-arith -Wuninitialized
+
+--
+
+Follow through `make check' with --enable-shared.
+
+When the srcware tree is configured with --enable-shared, the `expect'
+program won't run properly. Jim Wilson found out gdb has a local hack
+to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH, but, AFAIK, no other project has been hacked
+similarly.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00845.html
+
+--
+
+ GDB 5.2 - Fixes
+ ===============
+
+--
+
+Fix at least one thread bug.
+
+--
+
+ GDB 5.2 - New features
+ ======================
+
+--
+
+GCC 3.0 ABI support (but hopefully sooner...).
+
+--
+
+Objective C/C++ support (but hopefully sooner...).
+
+--
+
+ GDB 5.2 - Cleanups
+ ==================
+
+The following cleanups have been identified as part of GDB 5.2.
+
+--
+
+Remove old code that does not use ui_out functions and all the related
+"ifdef"s. This also allows the elimination of -DUI_OUT from
+Makefile.in and configure.in.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate one more compiler warnings.
+
+--
+
+Restructure gdb directory tree so that it avoids any 8.3 and 14
+filename problems.
+
+--
+
+Convert GDB build process to AUTOMAKE.
+
+See also sub-directory configure below.
+
+The current convention is (kind of) to use $(<header>_h) in all
+dependency lists. It isn't done in a consistent way.
+
+--
+
+ Code Cleanups: General
+ ======================
+
+The following are more general cleanups and fixes. They are not tied
+to any specific release.
+
+--
+
+The BFD directory requires bug-fixed AUTOMAKE et.al.
+
+AUTOMAKE 1.4 incorrectly set the TEXINPUTS environment variable. It
+contained the full path to texinfo.tex when it should have only
+contained the directory. The bug has been fixed in the current
+AUTOMAKE sources. Automake snapshots can be found in:
+ ftp://sourceware.cygnus.com/pub/gdb/snapshots
+and ftp://sourceware.cygnus.com/pub/binutils
+
+--
+
+Find something better than DEFAULT_BFD_ARCH, DEFAULT_BFD_VEC to
+determine the default isa/byte-order.
+
+--
+
+Rely on BFD_BIG_ENDIAN and BFD_LITTLE_ENDIAN instead of host dependent
+BIG_ENDIAN and LITTLE_ENDIAN.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate more compiler warnings.
+
+Of course there also needs to be the usual debate over which warnings
+are valid and how to best go about this.
+
+One method: choose a single option; get agreement that it is
+reasonable; try it out to see if there isn't anything silly about it
+(-Wunused-parameters is an example of that) then incrementally hack
+away.
+
+The other method is to enable all warnings and eliminate them from one
+file at a time.
+
+--
+
+Elimination of ``(catch_errors_ftype *) func''.
+
+Like make_cleanup_func it isn't portable.
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00791.html
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00814.html
+
+--
+
+Nuke #define CONST_PTR.
+
+--
+
+Nuke USG define.
+
+--
+
+[PATCH/5] src/intl/Makefile.in:distclean additions
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-04/msg00363.html
+
+Do not forget to merge the patch back into the trunk.
+
+--
+
+Rationalize the host-endian code (grep for HOST_BYTE_ORDER).
+
+At present defs.h includes <endian.h> (which is linux specific) yet
+almost nothing depends on it. Suggest "gdb_endian.h" which can also
+handle <machine/endian.h> and only include that where it is really
+needed.
+
+--
+
+Replace savestring() with something from libiberty.
+
+An xstrldup()? but that would have different semantics.
+
+--
+
+Rationalize use of floatformat_unknown in GDB sources.
+
+Instead of defaulting to floatformat_unknown, should hosts/targets
+specify the value explicitly?
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00447.html
+
+--
+
+Add a ``name'' member to include/floatformat.h:struct floatformat.
+Print that name in gdbarch.c.
+
+--
+
+Sort out the harris mess in include/floatformat.h (it hardwires two
+different floating point formats).
+
+--
+
+See of the GDB local floatformat_do_doublest() and libiberty's
+floatformat_to_double (which was once GDB's ...) can be merged some
+how.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate mmalloc(), mstrsave() et.al. from GDB.
+
+Also eliminate it from defs.h.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate PTR. ISO-C allows ``void *''.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate abort ().
+
+GDB should never abort. GDB should either throw ``error ()'' or
+``internal_error ()''. Better still GDB should naturally unwind with
+an error status.
+
+--
+
+GDB probably doesn't build on FreeBSD pre 2.2.x
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00378.html
+
+Fixes to get FreeBSD working on 2.2.x, 3.x and 4.x caused the code to
+suffer bit rot.
+
+--
+
+Deprecate "fg". Apparently ``fg'' is actually continue.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00417.html
+
+--
+
+Deprecate current use of ``floatformat_unknown''.
+
+Require all targets to explicitly provide their float format instead
+of defaulting to floatformat unknown. Doing the latter leads to nasty
+bugs.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00447.html
+
+--
+
+Rationalize floatformat_to_double() vs floatformat_to_doublest().
+
+Looks like GDB migrated floatformat_to_double() to libiberty but then
+turned around and created a ..._to_doublest() the latter containing
+several bug fixes.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00472.html
+
+--
+
+Move floatformat_ia64_ext to libiberty/include floatformat.[ch].
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-05/msg00466.html
+
+--
+
+The ``maintenance deprecate set endian big'' command doesn't notice
+that it is deprecating ``set endian'' and not ``set endian big'' (big
+is implemented using an enum). Is anyone going to notice this?
+
+--
+
+When tab expanding something like ``set arch<tab>'' ignore the
+deprecated ``set archdebug'' and expand to ``set architecture''.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate ``arm_register_names[j] = (char *) regnames[j]'' and the
+like from arm-tdep.c.
+
+--
+
+Fix uses of ->function.cfunc = set_function().
+
+The command.c code calls sfunc() when a set command. Rather than
+change it suggest fixing the callback function so that it is more
+useful. See:
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-06/msg00062.html
+
+See also ``Fix implementation of ``target xxx''.'' below.
+
+--
+
+IRIX 3.x support is probably broken.
+
+--
+
+Delete sim/SIM_HAVE_BREAKPOINTS and gdb/SIM_HAS_BREAKPOINTS.
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-07/msg00042.html
+
+Apart from the d30v, are there any sim/common simulators that make use
+of this?
+
+A brief summary of what happened is that sim/common/sim-break.c was
+created as a good idea. It turned out a better idea was to use
+SIM_SIGBREAK and have GDB pass back sim_resume (..., SIGBREAK).
+
+--
+
+Move remote_remove_hw_breakpoint, remote_insert_hw_breakpoint,
+remote_remove_watchpoint, remote_insert_watchpoint into target vector.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate ``extern'' from C files.
+
+--
+
+Replace ``STREQ()'' et.al. with ``strcmp() == 0'' et.al.
+
+Extreme care is recommeded - perhaps only modify tests that are
+exercised by the testsuite (as determined using some type of code
+coverage analysis).
+
+--
+
+Replace the file gdb/CONTRIBUTE with a file that is generated from the
+gdb/doc/*.texinfo directory.
+
+--
+
+ New Features and Fixes
+ ======================
+
+These are harder than cleanups but easier than work involving
+fundamental architectural change.
+
+--
+
+Hardware watchpoint problems on x86 OSes, including Linux:
+
+1. Delete/disable hardware watchpoints should free hardware debug
+registers.
+2. Watch for different values on a viariable with one hardware debug
+register.
+
+According to Eli Zaretskii <eliz@delorie.com>:
+
+These are not GDB/ia32 issues per se: the above features are all
+implemented in the DJGPP port of GDB and work in v5.0. Every
+x86-based target should be able to lift the relevant parts of
+go32-nat.c and use them almost verbatim. You get debug register
+sharing through reference counts, and the ability to watch large
+regions (up to 16 bytes) using multiple registers. (The required
+infrastructure in high-level GDB application code, mostly in
+breakpoint.c, is also working since v5.0.)
+
+--
+
+Add built-by, build-date, tm, xm, nm and anything else into gdb binary
+so that you can see how the GDB was created.
+
+--
+
+Add an "info bfd" command that displays supported object formats,
+similarly to objdump -i.
+
+Is there a command already?
+
+--
+
+Fix ``I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that.'' from symfile.c.
+
+This requires internationalization.
+
+--
+
+Add support for:
+
+(gdb) p fwprintf(stdout,L"%S\n", f)
+No symbol "L" in current context.
+
+--
+
+Cleanup configury support for optional sub-directories.
+
+Check how GCC handles multiple front ends for an example of how things
+could work. A tentative first step is to rationalize things so that
+all sub directories are handled in a fashion similar to gdb/mi.
+
+See also automake above.
+
+--
+
+Add a transcript mechanism to GDB.
+
+Such a mechanism might log all gdb input and output to a file in a
+form that would allow it to be replayed. It could involve ``gdb
+--transcript=FILE'' or it could involve ``(gdb) transcript file''.
+
+--
+
+Can the xdep files be replaced by autoconf?
+
+--
+
+Document trace machinery
+
+--
+
+Document ui-out and ui-file.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-04/msg00121.html
+
+--
+
+Update texinfo.tex to latest?
+
+--
+
+Incorporate agentexpr.texi into gdb.texinfo
+
+agentexpr.texi mostly describes the details of the byte code used for
+tracepoints, not the internals of the support for this in GDB. So it
+looks like gdb.texinfo is a better place for this information.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-04/msg00566.html
+
+--
+
+Document overlay machinery.
+
+--
+
+``(gdb) catch signal SIGNAL''
+
+Overlaps with ``handle SIGNAL'' but the implied behavior is different.
+You can attach commands to a catch but not a handle. A handle has a
+limited number of hardwired actions.
+
+--
+
+Get the TUI working on all platforms.
+
+--
+
+Add support for ``gdb --- PROGRAM ARGS ...''.
+Add support for ``gdb -cmd=...''
+
+Along with many variations. Check:
+
+????? for a full discussion.
+
+for a discussion.
+
+--
+
+Implement ``(gdb) !ls''.
+
+Which is very different from ``(gdb) ! ls''. Implementing the latter
+is trivial.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00034.html
+
+--
+
+Change the (char *list[]) to (const char (*)[]) so that dynamic lists can
+be passed.
+
+--
+
+When tab expanding something like ``set arch<tab>'' ignore the
+deprecated ``set archdebug'' and expand to ``set architecture''.
+
+--
+
+Replace the code that uses the host FPU with an emulator of the target
+FPU.
+
+--
+
+The "ocd reset" command needs to flush the dcache, which requires breaking
+the abstraction layer between the target independent and target code. One
+way to address this is provide a generic "reset" command and target vector.
+
+http://sources.redhat.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-10/msg00011.html
+
+--
+
+ Thread Support
+ ==============
+
+--
+
+Generic: lin-thread cannot handle thread exit (Mark Kettenis, Michael
+Snyder) http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00525.html
+
+The thread_db assisted debugging code doesn't handle exiting threads
+properly, at least in combination with glibc 2.1.3 (the framework is
+there, just not the actual code). There are at least two problems
+that prevent this from working.
+
+As an additional reference point, the pre thread_db code did not work
+either.
+
+--
+
+GNU/Linux/x86 and random thread signals (and Solaris/SPARC but not
+Solaris/x86).
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00336.html
+
+Christopher Blizzard writes:
+
+So, I've done some more digging into this and it looks like Jim
+Kingdon has reported this problem in the past:
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/bug-gdb/1999-10/msg00058.html
+
+I can reproduce this problem both with and without Tom's patch. Has
+anyone seen this before? Maybe have a solution for it hanging around?
+:)
+
+There's a test case for this documented at:
+
+when debugging threaded applications you get extra SIGTRAPs
+http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=9565
+
+[There should be a GDB testcase - cagney]
+
+--
+
+GDB5 TOT on unixware 7
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-04/msg00119.html
+
+Robert Lipe writes:
+> I just spun the top of tree of the GDB5 branch on UnixWare 7. As a
+> practical matter, the current thread support is somewhat more annoying
+> than when GDB was thread-unaware.
+
+--
+
+Migrate qfThreadInfo packet -> qThreadInfo. (Andrew Cagney)
+
+Add support for packet enable/disable commands with these thread
+packets. General cleanup.
+
+[PATCH] Document the ThreadInfo remote protocol queries
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00832.html
+
+[PATCH] "info threads" queries for remote.c
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-q1/msg00831.html
+
+--
+
+ Language Support
+ ================
+
+New languages come onto the scene all the time.
+
+--
+
+Re: Various C++ things
+
+value_headof/value_from_vtable_info are worthless, and should be
+removed. The one place in printcmd.c that uses it should use the RTTI
+functions.
+
+RTTI for g++ should be using the typeinfo functions rather than the
+vtables. The typeinfo functions are always at offset 4 from the
+beginning of the vtable, and are always right. The vtables will have
+weird names like E::VB sometimes. The typeinfo function will always
+be "E type_info function", or somesuch.
+
+value_virtual_fn_field needs to be fixed so there are no failures for
+virtual functions for C++ using g++.
+
+Testsuite cases are the major priority right now for C++ support,
+since i have to make a lot of changes that could potentially break
+each other.
+
+--
+
+Add support for Modula3
+
+Get DEC/Compaq to contribute their Modula-3 support.
+
+--
+
+ Remote Protocol Support
+ =======================
+
+--
+
+Remote protocol doco feedback.
+
+Too much feedback to mention needs to be merged in (901660). Search
+for the word ``remote''.
+
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00023.html
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00056.html
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00382.html
+
+--
+
+GDB doesn't recover gracefully from remote protocol errors.
+
+GDB wasn't checking for NAKs from the remote target. Instead a NAK is
+ignored and a timeout is required before GDB retries. A pre-cursor to
+fixing this this is making GDB's remote protocol packet more robust.
+
+While downloading to a remote protocol target, gdb ignores packet
+errors in so far as it will continue to download with chunk N+1 even
+if chunk N was not correctly sent. This causes gdb.base/remote.exp to
+take a painfully long time to run. As a PS that test needs to be
+fixed so that it builds on 16 bit machines.
+
+--
+
+Add the cycle step command.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-q1/msg00237.html
+
+--
+
+Resolve how to scale things to support very large packets.
+
+--
+
+Resolve how to handle a target that changes things like its endianess
+on the fly - should it be returned in the ``T'' packet?
+
+Underlying problem is that the register file is target endian. If the
+target endianess changes gdb doesn't know.
+
+--
+
+Rename read_register{,_pid}() to read_unsigned_register{,_pid}().
+
+--
+
+ Symbol Support
+ ==============
+
+If / when GDB starts to support the debugging of multi-processor
+(rather than multi-thread) applications the symtab code will need to
+be updated a little so that several independent symbol tables are
+active at a given time.
+
+The other interesting change is a clarification of the exact meaning
+of CORE_ADDR and that has had consequences for a few targets (that
+were abusing that data type).
+
+--
+
+Investiagate ways of reducing memory.
+
+--
+
+Investigate ways of improving load time.
+
+--
+
+Get the d10v to use POINTER_TO_ADDRESS and ADDRESS_TO_POINTER.
+
+Consequence of recent symtab clarification. No marks for figuring out
+who maintains the d10v.
+
+--
+
+Get the MIPS to correctly sign extend all address <-> pointer
+conversions.
+
+Consequence of recent symtab clarification. No marks for figuring out
+who maintains the MIPS.
+
+--
+
+GDB truncates 64 bit enums.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-06/msg00290.html
+
+--
+
+ Testsuite Support
+ =================
+
+There are never to many testcases.
+
+--
+
+Better thread testsuite.
+
+--
+
+Better C++ testsuite.
+
+--
+
+Look at adding a GDB specific testsuite directory so that white box
+tests of key internals can be added (eg ui_file).
+
+--
+
+Separate out tests that involve the floating point (FP).
+
+(Something for people brining up new targets). FP and non-fp tests
+are combined. I think there should be set of basic tests that
+exercise pure integer support and then a more expanded set that
+exercise FP and FP/integer interactions.
+
+As an example, the MIPS, for n32 as problems with passing FP's and
+structs. Since most inferior call tests include FP it is difficult to
+determine of the integer tests are ok.
+
+--
+
+ Architectural Changes: General
+ ==============================
-If you find inaccuracies in this list, please send mail to
-bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu.
+These are harder than simple cleanups / fixes and, consequently
+involve more work. Typically an Architectural Change will be broken
+down into a more digestible set of cleanups and fixes.
+
+--
+
+Cleanup software single step.
+
+At present many targets implement software single step by directly
+blatting memory (see rs6000-tdep.c). Those targets should register
+the applicable breakpoints using the breakpoint framework. Perhaphs a
+new internal breakpoint class ``step'' is needed.
+
+--
+
+Replace READ_FP() with FRAME_HANDLE().
+
+READ_FP() is a hangover from the days of the vax when the ABI really
+did have a frame pointer register. Modern architectures typically
+construct a virtual frame-handle from the stack pointer and various
+other bits of string.
+
+Unfortunately GDB still treats this synthetic FP register as though it
+is real. That in turn really confuses users (arm and ``print $fp'' VS
+``info registers fp''). The synthetic FP should be separated out of
+the true register set presented to the user.
+
+--
+
+Register Cache Cleanup (below from Andrew Cagney)
+
+I would depict the current register architecture as something like:
+
+ High GDB --> Low GDB
+ | |
+ \|/ \|/
+ --- REG NR -----
+ |
+ register + REGISTER_BYTE(reg_nr)
+ |
+ \|/
+ -------------------------
+ | extern register[] |
+ -------------------------
+
+where neither the high (valops.c et.al.) or low gdb (*-tdep.c) are
+really clear on what mechanisms they should be using to manipulate that
+buffer. Further, much code assumes, dangerously, that registers are
+contigious. Having got mips-tdep.c to support multiple ABIs, believe
+me, that is a bad assumption. Finally, that register cache layout is
+determined by the current remote/local target and _not_ the less
+specific target ISA. In fact, in many cases it is determined by the
+somewhat arbitrary layout of the [gG] packets!
+
+
+How I would like the register file to work is more like:
+
+
+ High GDB
+ |
+ \|/
+ pseudo reg-nr
+ |
+ map pseudo <->
+ random cache
+ bytes
+ |
+ \|/
+ ------------
+ | register |
+ | cache |
+ ------------
+ /|\
+ |
+ map random cache
+ bytes to target
+ dependent i-face
+ /|\
+ |
+ target dependent
+ such as [gG] packet
+ or ptrace buffer
+
+The main objectives being:
+
+ o a clear separation between the low
+ level target and the high level GDB
+
+ o a mechanism that solves the general
+ problem of register aliases, overlaps
+ etc instead of treating them as optional
+ extras that can be wedged in as an after
+ thought (that is a reasonable description
+ of the current code).
+
+ Identify then solve the hard case and the
+ rest just falls out. GDB solved the easy
+ case and then tried to ignore the real
+ world :-)
+
+ o a removal of the assumption that the
+ mapping between the register cache
+ and virtual registers is largely static.
+ If you flip the USR/SSR stack register
+ select bit in the status-register then
+ the corresponding stack registers should
+ reflect the change.
+
+ o a mechanism that clearly separates the
+ gdb internal register cache from any
+ target (not architecture) dependent
+ specifics such as [gG] packets.
+
+Of course, like anything, it sounds good in theory. In reality, it
+would have to contend with many<->many relationships at both the
+virt<->cache and cache<->target level. For instance:
+
+ virt<->cache
+ Modifying an mmx register may involve
+ scattering values across both FP and
+ mmpx specific parts of a buffer
+
+ cache<->target
+ When writing back a SP it may need to
+ both be written to both SP and USP.
+
+
+Hmm,
+
+Rather than let this like the last time it was discussed, just slip, I'm
+first going to add this e-mail (+ references) to TODO. I'd then like to
+sketch out a broad strategy I think could get us there.
+
+
+First thing I'd suggest is separating out the ``extern registers[]''
+code so that we can at least identify what is using it. At present
+things are scattered across many files. That way we can at least
+pretend that there is a cache instead of a global array :-)
+
+I'd then suggest someone putting up a proposal for the pseudo-reg /
+high-level side interface so that code can be adopted to it. For old
+code, initially a blanket rename of write_register_bytes() to
+deprecated_write_register_bytes() would help.
+
+Following that would, finaly be the corresponding changes to the target.
+
+--
+
+Check that GDB can handle all BFD architectures (Andrew Cagney)
+
+There should be a test that checks that BFD/GDB are in sync with
+regard to architecture changes. Something like a test that first
+queries GDB for all supported architectures and then feeds each back
+to GDB.. Anyone interested in learning how to write tests? :-)
+
+--
+
+ Architectural Change: Multi-arch et al.
+ =======================================
+
+The long term objective is to remove all assumptions that there is a
+single target with a single address space with a single instruction
+set architecture and single application binary interface.
+
+This is an ongoing effort. The first milestone is to enable
+``multi-arch'' where by all architectural decisions are made at
+runtime.
+
+It should be noted that ``gdbarch'' is really ``gdbabi'' and
+``gdbisa''. Once things are multi-arched breaking that down correctly
+will become much easier.
+
+--
+
+GDBARCH cleanup (Andrew Cagney)
+
+The non-generated parts of gdbarch.{sh,h,c} should be separated out
+into arch-utils.[hc].
+
+Document that gdbarch_init_ftype could easily fail because it didn't
+identify an architecture.
+
+--
+
+Fix BELIEVE_PPC_PROMOTION. Change it to BELIEVE_PPC_PROMOTION_P?
+
+At present there is still #ifdef BELIEVE_PPC_PROMOTION code in the
+symtab file.
+
+--
+
+Fix target_signal_from_host() etc.
+
+The name is wrong for starters. ``target_signal'' should probably be
+``gdb_signal''. ``from_host'' should be ``from_target_signal''.
+After that it needs to be multi-arched and made independent of any
+host signal numbering.
+
+--
+
+Update ALPHA so that it uses ``struct frame_extra_info'' instead of
+EXTRA_FRAME_INFO.
+
+This is a barrier to replacing mips_extra_func_info with something
+that works with multi-arch.
+
+--
+
+Multi-arch mips_extra_func_info.
+
+This first needs the alpha to be updated so that it uses ``struct
+frame_extra_info''.
+
+--
+
+Rationalize TARGET_SINGLE_FORMAT and TARGET_SINGLE_BIT et al.
+
+Surely one of them is redundant.
+
+--
+
+Convert ALL architectures to MULTI-ARCH.
+
+--
+
+Select the initial multi-arch ISA / ABI based on --target or similar.
+
+At present the default is based on what ever is first in the BFD
+archures table. It should be determined based on the ``--target=...''
+name.
+
+--
+
+Make MIPS pure multi-arch.
+
+It is only at the multi-arch enabled stage.
+
+--
+
+Truly multi-arch.
+
+Enable the code to recognize --enable-targets=.... like BINUTILS does.
+
+Can the tm.h and nm.h files be eliminated by multi-arch.
+
+--
+
+ Architectural Change: MI, LIBGDB and scripting languages
+ ========================================================
+
+See also architectural changes related to the event loop. LIBGDB
+can't be finished until there is a generic event loop being used by
+all targets.
+
+The long term objective is it to be possible to integrate GDB into
+scripting languages.
+
+--
+
+Implement generic ``(gdb) commmand > file''
+
+Once everything is going through ui_file it should be come fairly
+easy.
+
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb/2000-04/msg00104.html
+
+--
+
+Replace gdb_stdtarg with gdb_targout (and possibly gdb_targerr).
+
+gdb_stdtarg is easily confused with gdb_stdarg.
+
+--
+
+Extra ui_file methods - dump.
+
+Very useful for whitebox testing.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate error_begin().
+
+With ui_file, there is no need for the statefull error_begin ()
+function.
+
+--
+
+Send normal output to gdb_stdout.
+Send error messages to gdb_stderror.
+Send debug and log output log gdb_stdlog.
+
+GDB still contains many cases where (f)printf or printf_filtered () is
+used when it should be sending the messages to gdb_stderror or
+gdb_stdlog. The thought of #defining printf to something has crossed
+peoples minds ;-)
+
+--
+
+Re-do GDB's output pager.
+
+GDB's output pager still relies on people correctly using *_filtered
+for gdb_stdout and *_unfiltered for gdb_stdlog / gdb_stderr.
+Hopefully, with all normal output going to gdb_stdout, the pager can
+just look at the ui_file that the output is on and then use that to
+decide what to do about paging. Sounds good in theory.
+
+--
+
+Check/cleanup MI documentation.
+
+The list of commands specified in the documentation needs to be
+checked against the mi-cmds.c table in a mechanical way (so that they
+two can be kept up-to-date).
+
+--
+
+Convert MI into libgdb
+
+MI provides a text interface into what should be many of the libgdb
+functions. The implementation of those functions should be separated
+into the MI interface and the functions proper. Those functions being
+moved to gdb/lib say.
+
+--
+
+Create libgdb.h
+
+The first part can already be found in defs.h.
+
+--
+
+MI's input does not use buffering.
+
+At present the MI interface reads raw characters of from an unbuffered
+FD. This is to avoid several nasty buffer/race conditions. That code
+should be changed so that it registers its self with the event loop
+(on the input FD) and then push commands up to MI as they arrive.
+
+The serial code already does this.
+
+--
+
+Make MI interface accessible from existing CLI.
+
+--
+
+Add a breakpoint-edit command to MI.
+
+It would be similar to MI's breakpoint create but would apply to an
+existing breakpoint. It saves the need to delete/create breakpoints
+when ever they are changed.
+
+--
+
+Add directory path to MI breakpoint.
+
+That way the GUI's task of finding the file within which the
+breakpoint was set is simplified.
+
+--
+
+Add a mechanism to reject certain expression classes to MI
+
+There are situtations where you don't want GDB's expression
+parser/evaluator to perform inferior function calls or variable
+assignments. A way of restricting the expression parser so that such
+operations are not accepted would be very helpful.
+
+--
+
+Remove sideffects from libgdb breakpoint create function.
+
+The user can use the CLI to create a breakpoint with partial
+information - no file (gdb would use the file from the last
+breakpoint).
+
+The libgdb interface currently affects that environment which can lead
+to confusion when a user is setting breakpoints via both the MI and
+the CLI.
+
+This is also a good example of how getting the CLI ``right'' will be
+hard.
+
+--
+
+Move gdb_lasterr to ui_out?
+
+The way GDB throws errors and records them needs a re-think. ui_out
+handles the correct output well. It doesn't resolve what to do with
+output / error-messages when things go wrong.
+
+--
-* Things to do for Mach.
-* General to do list.
+do_setshow_command contains a 1024 byte buffer.
-Things to do for Mach
----------------------
+The function assumes that there will never be any more than 1024 bytes
+of enum. It should use mem_file.
-This section is up to date as of 28 Oct 1993.
+--
-All my attempted compilation was on douglas.gnu.ai.mit.edu.
+Should struct cmd_list_element . completer take the command as an
+argument?
-0. Get it to compile and run again, especially for non-threaded
-programs (some of the following are sub-tasks for this).
+--
-1. attach_command still contains a call to wait_for_inferior which is
-wrong for Mach. Need to figure out a way to push this functionality
-into target_attach (perhaps by having target_attach, for non-Mach
-targets, call a function which does what is now in attach_command).
+Should the bulk of top.c:line_completion_function() be moved to
+command.[hc]? complete_on_cmdlist() and complete_on_enums() could
+then be made private.
-2. jtv's port contains an #ifdef which skips the call to
-insert_step_breakpoint right after SOLIB_CREATE_INFERIOR_HOOK, but
-goes ahead and calls insert_breakpoints. I don't understand this--the
-comment would appear to apply to all breakpoints. Perhaps it is an
-artifact from a previous version of the Mach port? (BTW, the modern
-equivalent is the call to proceed from m3_create_inferior; proceed
-inserts breakpoints).
+--
-3. Get the thread stuff to use the new generic thread code (enhancing
-the generic thread code to include any missing features). This is
-necessary to make thread-specific breakpoints work again. If someone
-wants to try to patch up the old Mach threads code, need to deal with
-the hooks for PREPARE_TO_PROCEED and ATTACH_TO_THREAD, which I haven't
-merged--can these go in target_resume()?
+top.c (execute_command): Should a command being valid when the target
+is running be made an attribute (predicate) to the command rather than
+an explicit set of tests.
-4. BFD problem--"Undefined symbol _aout_32_swap_exec_header_in".
-Believed to be fixed (fix not yet tested with GDB).
+--
-5. The linker complains about mfree and so on being multiply defined.
-Believed to be fixed (fix not yet tested).
+top.c (execute_command): Should the bulk of this function be moved
+into command.[hc] so that top.c doesn't grub around in the command
+internals?
-6. i386_mach3_float_info and register_addr were undefined in the
-link. I haven't investigated, but probably just another easy
-configuration thing or something.
+--
-7. I couldn't find mach_port_t in any of the headers in
-/usr/include/*.h or /usr/include/mach/*.h (I think those are the two
-places I grepped; I don't know what headers I was actually getting).
-Typedeffing it to void * in nm-m3.h seemed to work, but of course
-that's hardly an elegant solution.
+ Architectural Change: Async
+ ===========================
-8. Implement the features which CMU gdb has which the main GDB does
-not. This could be done by getting paperwork from CMU and merging
-their changes, or by reimplementing them.
+While GDB uses an event loop when prompting the user for input. That
+event loop is not exploited by targets when they allow the target
+program to continue. Typically targets still block in (target_wait())
+until the program again halts.
-General To Do List
-------------------
+The closest a target comes to supporting full asynchronous mode are
+the remote targets ``async'' and ``extended-async''.
-This to do list is probably not up to date, and opinions may vary
-about the importance or even desirability of some of the items.
+--
+
+Asynchronous expression evaluator
+
+Inferior function calls hang GDB.
+
+--
+
+Fix implementation of ``target xxx''.
+
+At present when the user specifies ``target xxxx'', the CLI maps that
+directly onto a target open method. It is then assumed that the
+target open method should do all sorts of complicated things as this
+is the only chance it has. Check how the various remote targets
+duplicate the target operations. Check also how the various targets
+behave differently for purely arbitrary reasons.
+
+What should happen is that ``target xxxx'' should call a generic
+``target'' function and that should then co-ordinate the opening of
+``xxxx''. This becomes especially important when you're trying to
+open an asynchronous target that may need to perform background tasks
+as part of the ``attach'' phase.
+
+Unfortunately, due to limitations in the old/creaking command.h
+interface, that isn't possible. The function being called isn't told
+of the ``xxx'' or any other context information.
+
+Consequently a precursor to fixing ``target xxxx'' is to clean up the
+CLI code so that it passes to the callback function (attatched to a
+command) useful information such as the actual command and a context
+for that command. Other changes such as making ``struct command''
+opaque may also help.
+
+See also:
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/gdb-patches/2000-06/msg00062.html
+
+--
+
+Make "target xxx" command interruptible.
+
+As things become async this becomes possible. A target would start
+the connect and then return control to the event loop. A cntrl-c
+would notify the target that the operation is to be abandoned and the
+target code could respond.
+
+--
+
+Add a "suspend" subcommand of the "continue" command to suspend gdb
+while continuing execution of the subprocess. Useful when you are
+debugging servers and you want to dodge out and initiate a connection
+to a server running under gdb.
+
+[hey async!!]
+
+--
+
+ TODO FAQ
+ ========
+
+Frequently requested but not approved requests.
+
+--
+
+Eliminate unused argument warnings using ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED.
+
+The benefits on this one are thought to be marginal - GDBs design
+means that unused parameters are very common. GCC 3.0 will also
+include the option -Wno-unused-parameter which means that ``-Wall
+-Wno-unused-parameters -Werror'' can be specified.
+
+--
+
+
+
+ Legacy Wish List
+ ================
+
+This list is not up to date, and opinions vary about the importance or
+even desirability of some of the items. If you do fix something, it
+always pays to check the below.
+
+--
+
+@c This does not work (yet if ever). FIXME.
+@c @item --parse=@var{lang} @dots{}
+@c Configure the @value{GDBN} expression parser to parse the listed languages.
+@c @samp{all} configures @value{GDBN} for all supported languages. To get a
+@c list of all supported languages, omit the argument. Without this
+@c option, @value{GDBN} is configured to parse all supported languages.
+
+--
+
+START_INFERIOR_TRAPS_EXPECTED need never be defined to 2, since that
+is its default value. Clean this up.
+
+--
It should be possible to use symbols from shared libraries before we know
exactly where the libraries will be loaded. E.g. "b perror" before running
the program. This could maybe be done as an extension of the "breakpoint
re-evaluation" after new symbols are loaded.
+--
+
Make single_step() insert and remove breakpoints in one operation.
+[If this is talking about having single_step() insert the breakpoints,
+run the target then pull the breakpoints then it is wrong. The
+function has to return as control has to eventually be passed back to
+the main event loop.]
+
+--
+
Speed up single stepping by avoiding extraneous ptrace calls.
+--
+
Speed up single stepping by not inserting and removing breakpoints
each time the inferior starts and stops.
one(s) there should be removed when we have to step over one. Support
breakpoints that don't have to be removed to step over them.
-Speed up watchpoints by using debug registers, page table diddling (on
-SunOS4, can call mprotect() in the inferior; on other machines can do
-something simpler), etc.
+[this has resulted in numerous debates. The issue isn't clear cut]
-Update gdbint.texinfo to include doc on the directory structure and
-the various tricks of building gdb.
-
-Do a tutorial in gdb.texinfo on how to do simple things in gdb.
-E.g. how to set a breakpoint that just prints something and continues.
-How to break on aborts. Etc.
+--
Provide "voodoo" debugging of core files. This creates a zombie
process as a child of the debugger, and loads it up with the data,
stack, and regs of the core file. This allows you to call functions
in the executable, to manipulate the data in the core file.
-GDB reopens the source file on every line, as you "next" through it.
+[you wish]
-Referencing the vtbl member of a struct doesn't work. It prints OK
-if you print the struct, but it gets 0 if you try to deref it.
+--
-Persistent command history: A feature where you could save off a list
-of the commands you did, so you can edit it into something that will bring
-the target to the same place every time you source it.
-This would also be useful for automated fast watchpointing; if you go
-past the place where it watchpoints, you just start it over again and
-do it more carefully.
+GDB reopens the source file on every line, as you "next" through it.
-Deal with the SunOS 4.0 and 4.1.1 ptrace bug that loses the registers if
-the stack is paged out.
+[still true? I've a memory of this being fixed]
-Finish the C++ exception handling stub routines. Lint points them out
-as unused statics functions.
+--
Perhaps "i source" should take an argument like that of "list".
-See if coredep.c's fetch_core_registers can be used on more machines.
-E.g. MIPS (mips-xdep.c).
-
-unpack_double() does not handle IEEE float on the target unless the host
-is also IEEE. Death on a vax.
-
-Set up interface between GDB and INFO so that you can hop into interactive
-INFO and back out again. When running under Emacs, should use Emacs
-info, else fork the info program. Installation of GDB should install
-its texinfo files into the info tree automagically, including the readline
-texinfo files.
-
-"help address" ought to find the "help set print address" entry.
-
-Remove the VTBL internal guts from printouts of C++ structs, unless
-vtblprint is set.
+--
Remove "at 0xnnnn" from the "b foo" response, if `print address off' and if
it matches the source line indicated.
-The prompt at end of screen should accept space as well as CR.
-
-"List" should put you into a pseudo-"more" where you can hit space to
-get more, forever to eof. (questionable--you can already hit return
-to get more, and modal user interfaces are evil -kingdon, 28 Oct
-1993).
-
-Check STORE_RETURN_VALUE on all architectures. Check near it in tm-sparc.h
-for other bogosities.
+--
-Check for storage leaks in GDB, I'm sure there are a lot!
+The prompt at end of screen should accept space as well as CR.
-vtblprint of a vtbl should demangle the names it's printing.
+--
Backtrace should point out what the currently selected frame is, in
its display, perhaps showing "@3 foo (bar, ...)" or ">3 foo (bar,
...)" rather than "#3 foo (bar, ...)".
+--
+
"i program" should work for core files, and display more info, like what
actually caused it to die.
+--
+
"x/10i" should shorten the long name, if any, on subsequent lines.
-Check through the code for FIXME comments and fix them. dbxread.c,
-blockframe.c, and plenty more.
+--
"next" over a function that longjumps, never stops until next time you happen
to get to that spot by accident. E.g. "n" over execute_command which has
an error.
-Watchpoints seem not entirely reliable, though they haven't failed me recently.
+--
+
+"set zeroprint off", don't bother printing members of structs which
+are entirely zero. Useful for those big structs with few useful
+members.
-"set zeroprint off", don't bother printing members of structs which are entirely
-zero. Useful for those big structs with few useful members.
+--
GDB does four ioctl's for every command, probably switching terminal modes
to/from inferior or for readline or something.
+--
+
terminal_ours versus terminal_inferior: cache state. Switch should be a noop
if the state is the same, too.
-ptype $i6 = void??!
-
-Clean up invalid_float handling so gdb doesn't coredump when it tries to
-access a NaN. While this might work on SPARC, other machines are not
-configured right.
-
-"b value_at ; commands ; continue ; end" stops EVERY OTHER TIME!
-Then once you enter a command, it does the command, runs two more
-times, and then stops again! Bizarre... (This behaviour has been
-modified, but it is not yet 100% predictable when e.g. the commands
-call functions in the child, and while there, the child is interrupted
-with a signal, or hits a breakpoint.)
-
-help completion, help history should work.
-
-Check that we can handle stack trace through varargs AND alloca in same
-function, on 29K.
-
-wait_for_inferior loops forever if wait() gives it an error.
+--
"i frame" shows wrong "arglist at" location, doesn't show where the args
should be found, only their actual values.
+--
+
There should be a way for "set" commands to validate the new setting
before it takes effect.
-A mess of floating point opcodes are missing from sparc-opcode.h.
-Also, a little program should test the table for bits that are
-overspecified or underspecified. E.g. if the must-be-ones bits
-and the must-be-zeroes bits leave some fields unexamined, and the format
-string leaves them unprinted, then point this out. If multiple
-non-alias patterns match, point this out too. Finally, there should
-be a sparc-optest.s file that tries each pattern out. This file
-should end up coming back the same (modulo transformation comments)
-if fed to "gas" then the .o is fed to gdb for disassembly.
-
-Eliminate all the core_file_command's in all the xdep files.
-Eliminate separate declarations of registers[] everywhere.
+--
"ena d" is ambiguous, why? "ena delete" seems to think it is a command!
-Line numbers are off in some spots. In proceed() at 1st "oneproc = 1",
-it seems to run that statement, but it doesn't actually.
-
-Perhaps move the tdep, xdep, and nat files, into the config
-subdirectories. If not, at least straighten out their names so that
-they all start with the machine name.
-
-inferior_status should include stop_print_frame. It won't need to be
-reset in wait_for_inferior after bpstat_stop_status call, then.
+--
i line VAR produces "Line number not known for symbol ``var''.". I
thought we were stashing that info now!
+--
+
We should be able to write to random files at hex offsets like adb.
-Make "target xxx" command interruptible.
+--
+
+[elena - delete this]
Handle add_file with separate text, data, and bss addresses. Maybe
handle separate addresses for each segment in the object file?
+--
+
+[Jimb/Elena delete this one]
+
Handle free_named_symtab to cope with multiply-loaded object files
in a dynamic linking environment. Should remember the last copy loaded,
but not get too snowed if it finds references to the older copy.
-The original BFD core dump reading routine would itself coredump when fed
-a garbage file as a core file. Does the current one?
+--
-Generalize and Standardize the RPC interface to a target program,
-improve it beyond the "ptrace" interface, and see if it can become a
-standard for remote debugging.
+[elena delete this also]
Remove all references to:
text_offset
...
now that we have BFD. All remaining are in machine dependent files.
-When quitting with a running program, if a core file was previously
-examined, you get "Couldn't read float regs from core file"...if
-indeed it can't. generic_mourn_inferior...
-
-Have remote targets give a warning on a signal argument to
-target_resume. Or better yet, extend the protocols so that it works
-like it does on the Unix-like systems.
-
-Sort help and info output.
+--
Re-organize help categories into things that tend to fit on a screen
and hang together.
-renote-nindy.c handles interrupts poorly; it error()s out of badly
-chosen places, e.g. leaving current_frame zero, which causes core dumps
-on the next command.
+--
Add in commands like ADB's for searching for patterns, etc. We should
be able to examine and patch raw unsymboled binaries as well in gdb as
we can in adb. (E.g. increase the timeout in /bin/login without source).
-Those xdep files that call register_addr without defining it are
-probably simply broken. When reconfiguring this part of gdb, I could
-only make guesses about how to redo some of those files, and I
-probably guessed wrong, or left them "for later" when I have a
-machine that can attempt to build them.
+[actually, add ADB interface :-]
+
+--
When doing "step" or "next", if a few lines of source are skipped between
the previous line and the current one, print those lines, not just the
last line of a multiline statement.
-When searching for C++ superclasses in value_cast in valops.c, we must
-not search the "fields", only the "superclasses". There might be a
-struct with a field name that matches the superclass name. This can
-happen when the struct was defined before the superclass (before the
-name became a typedef).
+--
Handling of "&" address-of operator needs some serious overhaul
for ANSI C and consistency on arrays and functions.
For "char *malloc();":
ptype malloc ==> "char *()"; should be same as
ptype &malloc ==> "char *(*)()"
-call printf ("%x\n", malloc) ==> wierd value, should be same as
+call printf ("%x\n", malloc) ==> weird value, should be same as
call printf ("%x\n", &malloc) ==> correct value
+--
+
Fix dbxread.c symbol reading in the presence of interrupts. It
currently leaves a cleanup to blow away the entire symbol table when a
QUIT occurs. (What's wrong with that? -kingdon, 28 Oct 1993).
+[I suspect that the grype was that, on a slow system, you might want
+to cntrl-c and get just half the symbols and then load the rest later
+- scary to be honest]
+
+--
+
Mipsread.c reads include files depth-first, because the dependencies
in the psymtabs are way too inclusive (it seems to me). Figure out what
really depends on what, to avoid recursing 20 or 30 times while reading
real symtabs.
+--
+
value_add() should be subtracting the lower bound of arrays, if known,
and possibly checking against the upper bound for error reporting.
-mipsread.c symbol table allocation and deallocation should be checked.
-My suspicion is that it's full of memory leaks.
-
-SunOS should have a target_lookup_symbol() for common'd things allocated
-by the shared library linker ld.so.
+--
When listing source lines, check for a preceding \n, to verify that
the file hasn't changed out from under us.
-When listing source lines, eat leading whitespace corresponding to the
-line-number prefix we print. This avoids long lines wrapping.
+[fixed by some other means I think. That hack wouldn't actually work
+reliably - the file might move such that another \n appears. ]
-mipsread.c needs to check for old symtabs and psymtabs for the same
-files, the way it happens for dbxread.c and coffread.c, for VxWorks
-incremental symbol table reloading.
+--
Get all the remote systems (where the protocol allows it) to be able to
stop the remote system when the GDB user types ^C (like remote.c
does). For ebmon, use ^Ak.
+--
+
Possible feature: A version of the "disassemble" command which shows
both source and assembly code ("set symbol-filename on" is a partial
solution).
+
+[has this been done? It was certainly done for MI and GDBtk]
+
+--
+
+investigate "x/s 0" (right now stops early) (I think maybe GDB is
+using a 0 address for bad purposes internally).
+
+--
+
+Make "info path" and path_command work again (but independent of the
+environment either of gdb or that we'll pass to the inferior).
+
+--
+
+Make GDB understand the GCC feature for putting octal constants in
+enums. Make it so overflow on an enum constant does not error_type
+the whole type. Allow arbitrarily large enums with type attributes.
+Put all this stuff in the testsuite.
+
+--
+
+Make TYPE_CODE_ERROR with a non-zero TYPE_LENGTH more useful (print
+the value in hex; process type attributes). Add this to the
+testsuite. This way future compilers can add new types and old
+versions of GDB can do something halfway reasonable.
+
+--
+
+Fix mdebugread.c:parse_type to do fundamental types right (see
+rs6000_builtin_type in stabsread.c for what "right" is--the point is
+that the debug format fixes the sizes of these things and it shouldn't
+depend on stuff like TARGET_PTR_BIT and so on. For mdebug, there seem
+to be separate bt* codes for 64 bit and 32 bit things, and GDB should
+be aware of that). Also use a switch statement for clarity and speed.
+
+--
+
+Investigate adding symbols in target_load--some targets do, some
+don't.
+
+--
+
+Put dirname in psymtabs and change lookup*symtab to use dirname (so
+/foo/bar.c works whether compiled by cc /foo/bar.c, or cd /foo; cc
+bar.c).
+
+--
+
+Merge xcoffread.c and coffread.c. Use breakpoint_re_set instead of
+fixup_breakpoints.
+
+--
+
+Make a watchpoint which contains a function call an error (it is
+broken now, making it work is probably not worth the effort).
+
+--
+
+New test case based on weird.exp but in which type numbers are not
+renumbered (thus multiply defining a type). This currently causes an
+infinite loop on "p v_comb".
+
+--
+
+[Hey! Hint Hint Delete Delete!!!]
+
+Fix 386 floating point so that floating point registers are real
+registers (but code can deal at run-time if they are missing, like
+mips and 68k). This would clean up "info float" and related stuff.
+
+--
+
+gcc -g -c enummask.c then gdb enummask.o, then "p v". GDB complains
+about not being able to access memory location 0.
+
+-------------------- enummask.c
+enum mask
+{
+ ANIMAL = 0,
+ VEGETABLE = 1,
+ MINERAL = 2,
+ BASIC_CATEGORY = 3,
+
+ WHITE = 0,
+ BLUE = 4,
+ GREEN = 8,
+ BLACK = 0xc,
+ COLOR = 0xc,
+
+ ALIVE = 0x10,
+
+ LARGE = 0x20
+} v;
+
+--
+
+If try to modify value in file with "set write off" should give
+appropriate error not "cannot access memory at address 0x65e0".
+
+--
+
+Allow core file without exec file on RS/6000.
+
+--
+
+Make sure "shell" with no arguments works right on DOS.
+
+--
+
+Make gdb.ini (as well as .gdbinit) be checked on all platforms, so
+the same directory can be NFS-mounted on unix or DOS, and work the
+same way.
+
+--
+
+[Is this another delete???]
+
+Get SECT_OFF_TEXT stuff out of objfile_relocate (might be needed to
+get RS/6000 to work right, might not be immediately relevant).
+
+--
+
+Work out some kind of way to allow running the inferior to be done as
+a sub-execution of, eg. breakpoint command lists. Currently running
+the inferior interupts any command list execution. This would require
+some rewriting of wait_for_inferior & friends, and hence should
+probably be done in concert with the above.
+
+--
+
+Add function arguments to gdb user defined functions.
+
+--
+
+Add convenience variables that refer to exec file, symbol file,
+selected frame source file, selected frame function, selected frame
+line number, etc.
+
+--
+
+Modify the handling of symbols grouped through BINCL/EINCL stabs to
+allocate a partial symtab for each BINCL/EINCL grouping. This will
+seriously decrease the size of inter-psymtab dependencies and hence
+lessen the amount that needs to be read in when a new source file is
+accessed.
+
+--
+
+Add a command for searching memory, a la adb. It specifies size,
+mask, value, start address. ADB searches until it finds it or hits
+an error (or is interrupted).
+
+--
+
+Remove the range and type checking code and documentation, if not
+going to implement.
+
+# Local Variables:
+# mode: text
+# End:
projects / deliverable / binutils-gdb.git / blobdiff