Re: [Caml-list] No unused code linking?

[malc <malc@pulsesoft.com>]

On Wed, 9 Nov 2005, Dmitry Bely wrote:

> I am thinking of reducing the size of ocamlopt-generated executables that
> easily grows to 1Mb and above. The problem as I see it is that any module is
> linked as a single whole (as all its functions are placed into the single
> object file), no matter what is actually used. So almost all
> stdlib/otherlibs become quickly linked into even not very complex project.
>
> In C world there is a solution that lets the linker to do its job smartly
> for monolitic object files: place each function into the separate section
> (gcc's "-ffunction-sections" or msvc's "-Gy" options) and then ask linker
> to eliminate unused sections during the link stage. Can anything similar be
> done with Ocamlopt compiler?
>
> Of course, placing each function into the separate section is not a problem -
> modifications of the code generator would be minimal. The real problem are
> the frame tables - the single table references all functions in the
> module. Maybe they can be split and linked separately? What Ocaml
> developers think of that?
>

I have played with this idea myself, the problem is not only frametables
but also the module header (which more or less contains pointers to all
externally visible(don't take my word on it, been a while, might as well
be ALL) symbols.


All in all this would require quite an effort in restructuring almost
everything. I wouldn't count on it.

-- 
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