Link for xv6: https://github.com/mit-pdos/xv6-public Source of binutils 2.44: brew install binutils System: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (WSL) {{ note: you need to add __attribute__((noreturn)) to runcmd and -Wno-array-bounds to suppress unimportant warnings }}
When compiled with gcc-13, as 2.42, ld 2.42 the kernel size on compilation is ~200kB. When compiled with gcc-15, as 2.44, ld 2.44 the size of the kernel is ~130 MB. When compiled with gcc-13, as 2.42, ld 2.44 the size is again ~200 kB so I suppose as 2.44 is the culprit. I cannot use gcc-15 with as 2.42 because of .base64 pseudo-op error. Analysis of binary: It looks as if the .data segment gets bloated by as 2.44. On changing the .data entry in kernel.ld file to .data (NOLOAD), the file size of (now not-working) kernel becomes ~190kB. There is a massive virtual address gap between .data and .bss segments. The type of the binary is as expected (using file kernel). Result: Extremely slow kernel loading (never loaded completely whenever I waited). Tried some flags to the compiler and as that could reduce memory consumption to no avail.
