removing symbol from shared lib

[Erik Leunissen <e dot leunissen at hccnet dot nl>]

I've got two object files: a.o and b.o which are going to be linked into 
a shared lib.

b.o defines a global symbol XXX which a.o needs. But symbol XXX is not 
going to be needed outside the shared lib.

What I want to accomplish is to make symbol XXX in the shared lib 
invisible from the outside, or even remove it completely, while not 
affecting the functionality of the shared lib.

I've been able to convert XXX into a local symbol, using objcopy, but 
that's as far as I got. I did not succeed in making it invisible or 
completely removing it.

Is what I want possible at all?

If so, what incantation do I need?


Thanks for your help,

Erik Leunissen