Package: gcc
Version: 4:4.2.1-6
Severity: normal
--- Please enter the report below this line. ---
If I use -fvisibility=hidden, I expect symbols declared with "extern"
not be affected by it, as per the manpage (gcc-4.2 in gcc-4.2-doc).
"extern declarations are not affected by -fvisibility, so a lot of
code can be recompiled with -fvisibility=hidden with no modifications"
Yet a very simple testcase shows that even symbols marked extern are affected.
Tested with gcc-4.2, and gcc-4.1.
$ cat dso.c
extern int symbol(int x);
extern int symbol(int x)
{
}
$ gcc -fPIC -DPIC -fvisibility=hidden -shared dso.c -o dso.so &&
readelf -a dso.so | grep symbol
49: 00000000000004cc 9 FUNC LOCAL HIDDEN 11 symbol
If I link an application that uses that symbol, the link will fail,
since the symbol is local and hidden.
Adding __attribute__((visibility("default"))) works as expected
(producing a DEFAULT symbol).
Either the manpage, or the behaviour should be changed.
Fixing the manpage is for sure the easiest way, but affecting externs
symbols by visibility=hidden is nonsense, since those are suppposed to
be the API functions that you "export".
Its the only (standard) way I can mark a functions as a globally
visible API. Also programs using symbols declared as extern expect
(and for good reason) to be able to successfully link with a DSO
containing that symbol.
Alternatives described at http://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/Visibility work of
course, but they require code changes. Not at all the "recompile with
no modifications" advertised by the manpage.
I should have another
-fvisibility-hidden-make-extern-behave-the-way-its-supposed-to-be flag
if the behaviour for "extern" and -fvisibility=hidden is to stay the
same.
But if this is to be fixed in the behaviour, then it should be
backported to gcc-4.1 too IMHO.
--- System information. ---
Architecture: amd64
Kernel: Linux 2.6.23-rc6-hrt1-gc87ce658-dirty
Debian Release: lenny/sid
500 unstable www.debian-multimedia.org
500 unstable ftp.iasi.roedu.net
500 testing ftp.iasi.roedu.net
500 feisty wine.budgetdedicated.com
500 etch debian.beryl-project.org
1 experimental ftp.iasi.roedu.net
--- Package information. ---
Depends (Version) | Installed
===========================-+-===============
cpp (>= 4:4.2.1-6) | 4:4.2.1-6
gcc-4.2 (>= 4.2.1-3) | 4.2.1-5
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