RFC: objdump: Add --debug-dir=<DIR> option

[Hans-Peter Nilsson]

On Tue, 14 Apr 2026, Nick Clifton wrote:

> Hi Guys,
> 
>   Attached is a potential patch to improve objdump and readelf by adding
>   a command line option that specifies a directory to be searched when
>   looking for separate debug information files.  I found this to be very
>   helpful when the debug information is not stored in one of the
>   "standard" locations expected by the programs.
> 
>   This particular scenario arose for me when I was trying to examine the
>   contents of some files inside an uninstalled rpm.  I could extract the
>   binaries and their separate debug info files from the rpms but I could
>   not persuade objdump to use the debug information unless it was in the
>   current directory.
> 
>   Any comments

First, "sounds great!" then "obvious and overdue!" then...

> or suggestions for improvements

..."perhaps it should be a :-separated set of paths?", then "but 
that should be a separate, future change; a separate option".

> ?
> 
> Cheers
>   Nick

That's about it. ;)
No need to wait, improvements are best kept incremental.

brgds, H-P
PS: tho, missing coverage in the testsuite.