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

[Dmitry Bely <dbely@mail.ru>]

malc <malc@pulsesoft.com> writes:

>> 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.

IMHO, each header item can be placed into the separate DATA section, so
it's not the real problem (the frame table is).

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

Probably you are right, but I still hope for a miracle :-) 

- Dmitry Bely