[llvm-dev] [lld] Flavour option purpose

[Rui Ueyama via llvm-dev]

Most command line options in GNU, macOS and MSVC are not just different in
terms of notion but different in terms of semantics. For example, MSVC
link.exe doesn't have --start-group and --end-group options because their
symbol resolution semantics are different than Unix. link.exe on the other
hand doesn't have --init or --fini options because that's ELF-only concept.
Linker scripts exist only in GNU. You cannot hide these differences even if
you create a unified driver, which makes a unified driver less attractive
to me.

Also, I think if we try to create a unified interface, I guess it would end
up with this situation -- https://xkcd.com/927/. We have three standards --
GNU, Darwin and MSVC. I don't know if we want another one.

On Wed, Nov 1, 2017 at 12:16 PM, N via llvm-dev <llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org>
wrote:

> I am aware of these flags, but this is not my point. I am talking about
> Darwin and Link lld drivers
> not being on par with the GNU driver. While using clang for linking helps,
> as it provides some flags
> to the linker, as soon as you want to do something clang does not
> automatically do, you still have
> the issue of different flags for different drivers/targets.
>
> > On 1 Nov 2017, at 20:08, Jonathan Roelofs <jonathan at codesourcery.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > On 11/1/17 10:29 AM, N via llvm-dev wrote:
> >> Thank you for your answers.
> >> Indeed, Clang is universal, but only until one needs to pass some
> commands to the linker which are not
> >> automatically passed by the driver. Then we are back to the same
> problem.
> >
> > Clang and GCC both support the `-Wl,` and `-Xlinker` flags...
> >
> >
> > Jon
> >
> >> In my opinion, it would be great if lld had a unified, GNU-like
> interface. Of course, if nobody else is interested,
> >> it's probably not even worth it drafting an RFC. :(
> >>> On 27 Oct 2017, at 01:09, James Y Knight <jyknight at google.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I mean, there is such a universal driver -- it's called "clang".
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Oct 26, 2017 5:31 PM, "Rui Ueyama via llvm-dev" <
> llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org> wrote:
> >>> Martell recently added "ld64.lld" as a name for the Darwin driver.
> >>>
> >>> As to why there's no driver that provides a unified command line
> arguments, I can't speak for other people. But no one seems to have been
> interested in it enough to actually invent and implement a set of unified
> command line arguments.
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 2:20 PM, N <scandium at me.com> wrote:
> >>>> I think using ld.lld or lld-link is preferred way over "lld -flavor
> gnu" or "lld -flavor link".
> >>>
> >>> -flavor seems to be still actively used in Clang… By the the way,
> there seems to be no special
> >>> command name for Darwin targets, so ld.lld (incorrectly) invokes the
> ELF linker there
> >>> (see https://bugs.llvm.org/show_bug.cgi?id=34792#c1)
> >>>
> >>> Regardless, I would be interested in hearing the answer to the rest of
> the questions.
> >>>
> >>>> On 26 Oct 2017, at 23:10, Rui Ueyama <ruiu at google.com> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> The -flavor option exists mostly for historical reasons. I think
> using ld.lld or lld-link is preferred way over "lld -flavor gnu" or "lld
> -flavor link".
> >>>>
> >>>> On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 2:06 PM, N via llvm-dev <
> llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org> wrote:
> >>>> Hi all,
> >>>>
> >>>> According to lld/docs/Driver.rst, Flavor command line option
> determines the style of lld command-line interface when invoked.
> >>>>
> >>>> However, it looks like this option also determines the set of
> supported targets we are linking for. For example, lld -flavor gnu
> >>>> cannot link mach-o binaries, and could not link PE binaries either
> (well, not until rL312926).
> >>>>
> >>>> Is this really intended by the design of lld? It looks the flavours
> are merely legacy compatibility shims, but then why is there no
> >>>> universal lld driver that is able to link binary for any platform
> using a unified CLI?
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> LLVM Developers mailing list
> >>>> llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org
> >>>> http://lists.llvm.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/llvm-dev
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> LLVM Developers mailing list
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> >>>
> >>>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> LLVM Developers mailing list
> >> llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org
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> >
> > --
> > Jon Roelofs
> > jonathan at codesourcery.com
> > CodeSourcery / Mentor Embedded / Siemens
>
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