make target selection fully configurable

1 files changed, 22 insertions, 38 deletions

diff --git a/bfd/TODO b/bfd/TODO
index 26fd83b..8d39107 100644
--- a/bfd/TODO
+++ b/bfd/TODO
@@ -1,41 +1,25 @@
-Things that still need to be handled: -*- Text -*-
+Things that still need to be done: -*- Text -*-
+
+ o - A source of space lossage is that all the target-dependent
+     code is in a single bfd_target structure.  Hence all the code
+     for *writing* object files is still pulled into all the applications
+     that only care about *reading* (gdb, nm, objdump), while gas
+     has to carry along all the unneded baggage for reading objects.
+     And so one.  This would be a much more substantial change,
+     and the payoff would be less (essentially none if bfd is
+     used as a shared library).
+
+ o - The storage needed by BFD data structures is also larger than strictly
+     needed.  This may be difficult to do much about.
 
- 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 - update the bfd doc; write a how-to-write-a-backend doc.
- o - change reloc handling as per Steve's suggestion.
-     (more details please.....)
-
-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.
+
+ o - update the bfd doc; write a how-to-write-a-backend doc, take out
+     the stupid quips and fill in all the blanks.
+
+ o - upgrade the reloc handling as per Steve's suggestion.
+
+
+
+