This is the mail archive of the
gdb@sources.redhat.com
mailing list for the GDB project.
Re: Questions for GDB Developers
- From: "Salman Khilji" <salmankhilji at hotmail dot com>
- To: shebs at apple dot com
- Cc: gdb at sources dot redhat dot com
- Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 03:12:35 +0000
- Subject: Re: Questions for GDB Developers
- Bcc:
I did a little reading on the licensing and yes it does seem that lifting
the code and creating a proprietory "real-time data monitor" would be
against the licensing. However, I do have a few things in my mind and would
like your opinion on whether it sounds like a good idea:
1) What I think I could do is lift the symbol handling code and memory
peeking/poking code and create a "debugger" that does not stop the program
and allows monitoring of variables in real-time. The program will only be
able to read the global variables---no stack variables like a source-line
debugger. This part would be released under GPL as open-source. I will
implement C and C++. Others can add whatever they want later on (and of
course I would like others to help me while I develop this---I don't think I
can do this on my own!!)
2) The other GUI parts of the monitoring application including plotting,
scripting, etc etc would remain proprietory. Open-source projects like DDD
could then use the functioality in item 1) to implement real-time monitoring
features.
This way anyone who wants to create such an application will have the hard
part already done---that is symbol handling. This way the core of the
application will remain open-source and other wil be able to contribute to
it for future enhancements.
I am sure the real-time community would appreciate this. So what do you
think?
Salman
>From: Stan Shebs <shebs@apple.com>
>To: Salman Khilji <salmankhilji@hotmail.com>
>CC: gdb@sources.redhat.com
>Subject: Re: Questions for GDB Developers
>Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 14:41:36 -0800
>
>Salman Khilji wrote:
> >
> > 1) Suppose we have to isolate the symbol dictionary code into a separate
> > library so that this library can potentially be used to create a new
> > debugger. Which source files do we have to include in this library? I
>am
> > talking about the code that reads object/symbol files, determines the
> > addresses and types of global variables and dynamically allocated
>memory. I
> > am not interested in stack variables.
>
>In general, we haven't been interested in doing this, because the
>usual rationale has been to violate GDB's licensing terms by making
>proprietary debuggers. If this is for a new free debugger, then it's
>worth talking further.
>
>Stan
_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com