symbol table for include files - why?

[debashis mahata]

Hi,
 
In 
Solaris 2.8 environment with stabs, when GDB creates the partial symbol tables (PST), it use to generate PST for every include 
files. Also while generating the full symbol table, GDB allocates full symbol 
table for all those include files.
 
The 
PST for the include files are empty except for a dependency towards the parent 
where the file is included. All the partial symbols from the include file are 
part of the PST of the parent. The function that creates the PSTs for the 
include file is end_psymtab(). The PST for a include file is used to identify 
the PST for the parent file which is helpful in case 
of "list" command or putting the breakpoint at some line number of the 
include file.
 
Is 
there any usage of the PSTs for the include files other than 'list' command or 
putting breakpoint at some line number?
 
Most 
of the cases include files do not have any line number information . So is it not a big overhead to keep those in 
PST list? In some of the executables I found around 7 lacs of PSTs for the 
include files. In such cases the traversal through the PST list is time 
consuming.
 
The 
full symbols from the include files are also part of the parent file. So 
searching a symbol (ptype command) is not a problem even if we do not generate/ 
allocate the full symbol table for the include files. If the include file do not 
have any line number information, should we keep/ allocate full symbol table for 
the include files? 
 
Is 
there any optimization possible here???
 
 
regards,
mahata.