Initial revision

1 files changed, 49 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/bfd/TODO b/bfd/TODO
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45cf905
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bfd/TODO
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+Things that still need to be handled: -*- Text -*-
+
+ o - check all the swapping code.
+ o - change the memory usage to reflect the message which follows the
+     page break.
+ o - implement bfd_abort, which should close the bfd but not alter the
+     filesystem.
+ o - remove the following obsolete functions:
+	 bfd_symbol_value
+	 bfd_symbol_name
+	 bfd_get_first_symbol
+	 bfd_get_next_symbol
+	 bfd_classify_symbol
+	 bfd_symbol_hasclass
+ o - update the bfd doc; write a how-to-write-a-backend doc.
+ o - change reloc handling as per Steve's suggestion.
+
+
+Changing the way bfd uses memory.  The new convention is simple: 
+
+ o - bfd will never write into user-supplied memory, nor attempt to
+     free it.
+ o - closing a bfd may reclaim all bfd-allocated memory associated
+     with that bfd.
+ - - bfd_target_list will be the one exception; you must reclaim the
+     returned vector yourself.
+
+Interface implications are minor (get_symcount_upper_bound will go
+away; bfd_cannicalize_symtab will allocate its own memory, etc).
+
+Certain operations consume a lot of memory; for them manual
+reclaimation is available:
+
+ o - bfd_canonicalize_symtab will return a pointer to a
+     null-terminated vector of symbols.  Subsequent calls may or may
+     not return the same pointer.
+     bfd_canonicalize_relocs will do the same; returning a pointer to
+     an array of arelocs.  Calling this function will read symbols in
+     too.
+
+ o - bfd_reclaim_relocs will free the memory used by these relocs.
+     the symbols will be untouched.
+     bfd_reclaim_symtab (ne bfd_reclaim_symbol_table) will free the
+     memory allocated by canonialize_symtab.  
+     Since relocations point to symbols, any relocations obtained by a
+     call to bfd_canonicalize_relocs will be reclaimed as well.
+
+ o - if you don't call the reclaim_ functions, the memory will be
+     reclaimed at bfd_close time.