linux, threads and auto-solib-add

[Dan Mosedale]

Kevin Buettner wrote:

>On Jan 29,  4:24pm, Martin M. Hunt wrote:
>  
>
>>I am trying to answer a question about debugging threaded applications
>>when auto-solib-add is off. You cannot debug pthreads programs without
>>first loading the symbols for libpthread.  
>>
>>Given that, does it make sense to modify solid_add to always read the
>>symbols for libpthread, if it is in the library list?
>>    
>>
>I'm not in favor of this.
>  
>
>>Or is expected the user knows enough to always immediately do "shar
>>libpthread" after starting debugging a threaded program?
>>    
>>
>
>IMO, when the user disables auto-solib-add, then the user is
>responsible for "hand" loading the shared libraries needed for
>debugging the program.
>
Can you elaborate a bit on what it is about this you don't like?  This 
doesn't strike me as terribly intuitive behavior, since (unlike most 
other shared libraries), not having the symbols loaded effects the 
operation of things other than just the stack trace commands (at least 
"info threads").  It's worth keeping in mind that with larger software 
projects (eg Mozilla), developers may be turning auto-solib-add off 
because, given performance constraints, there's no practical alternative 
if you don't have a suitably beefy machine.

Dan