On resolving the MIPS gas branch reloc issue

[Eric Christopher]

> > in other words, you've _created_ a new element of an ABI.
> 
> I implemented it in the way it should have been long before.
> 

Thanks.

> > Otherwise, it'll be implemented, and somebody'll
> > change their mind about how it should work, and then some significant
> > have the ABI change out from under them.
> 
> That's IMHO pretty unlikely, given that MIPS Corp. "owns" the ABI
> and they agree on this interpretation of the Spec.
> 

Nah. I'd fully believe that they'd change the ABI here. There should be
at least some... official document out of MIPS with these changes. I
doubt I'll see it though.

> The alternative would be to simply allow the GNU extension reloc for the
> other ABIs, but then GNU binutils won't be compatible to other toolchains.
> I forgot to mention that the SDE MIPS Tools (formerly Algorithmics, now
> AFAIK the official MIPS toolchain) have used R_MIPS_PC16 for years in the
> way my patch does now for binutils.
> 

I care less about compatibility with other tools than doing the right
thing here. Why don't we have a friendly local MIPS licensee talk to
them?

-eric

-- 
o/~ Cry havoc... o/~