* ld.h (ld_config_type): Add new field traditional_format.

	* lexsup.c (parse_args): Add traditional_format to longopts, and
	handle it.
	* ldmain.c (main): Initialize config.traditional_format to false.
	* ldlang.c (ldlang_open_output): Set BFD_TRADITIONAL_FORMAT in BFD
	flags of output_bfd according to config.traditional_format.
	* ld.texinfo: Document -traditional-format.

1 files changed, 17 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/ld/ld.texinfo b/ld/ld.texinfo
index 65a9d10..d60c5e8 100644
--- a/ld/ld.texinfo
+++ b/ld/ld.texinfo
@@ -179,7 +179,8 @@ ld [ -o @var{output} ]  @var{objfile}@dots{}
   [ -r | -Ur ]  [ -S ]  [ -s ]  [ -sort-common ] [ -stats ]
   [ -T @var{commandfile} ]
   [ -Ttext @var{org} ]  [ -Tdata @var{org} ]
-  [ -Tbss @var{org} ]  [ -t ]  [ -u @var{symbol}]  [-V]  [-v]  [ -version ]
+  [ -Tbss @var{org} ]  [ -t ] [ -traditional-format ]
+  [ -u @var{symbol}]  [-V]  [-v]  [ -version ]
   [ -warn-common ]  [ -y @var{symbol} ]  [ -X ]  [-x ]
 @end smallexample
 
@@ -597,6 +598,21 @@ preceding @samp{-L} options.  Multiple @samp{-T} options accumulate.
 @item -t 
 Print the names of the input files as @code{ld} processes them.
 
+@kindex -traditional-format
+@cindex traditional format
+@item -traditional-format
+For some targets, the output of @code{ld} is different in some ways from
+the output of some existing linker.  This switch requests @code{ld} to
+use the traditional format instead.
+
+@cindex dbx
+For example, on SunOS, @code{ld} combines duplicate entries in the
+symbol string table.  This can reduce the size of an output file with
+full debugging information by over 30 percent.  Unfortunately, the SunOS
+@code{dbx} program can not read the resulting program (@code{gdb} has no
+trouble).  The @samp{-traditional-format} switch tells @code{ld} to not
+combine duplicate entries.
+
 @item -u @var{symbol}
 @kindex -u @var{symbol}
 @cindex undefined symbol