gdb + perl

[Kip Macy]

> Thanks for making your changes available.

Thanks for replying.

>
> I happen to like the idea of providing access to perl from GDB, but then
> I also happen to like perl.

I happen to really *not like* perl. However, this is targeted at the
developers at my company who predominantly do like perl.  I don't know
what would be the ideal language. I've actually started ocaml support.
As far as mainstream scripting languages go, I would've chosen python.
I've structured the such that the only real work is writing a parser
for MI output in the target language. I export the MI functionality and
callback mechanism through a language independent interface.


>   2) GDB is a GNU project and as such would probably use guile as its
>      primary extension language.  (Of course, there could be others.)

I would add support for guile if doing so would get the FFI code
incorporated into mainline GDB.


>
> I haven't looked at your work at all yet.  Do you think it would be
> possible to develop an extension language API that could be used by
> perl as well as other extension languages?

That wouldn't be a giant leap.

> That way, it'd be possible
> to do extension language plugins, of which your work would be one.
> It'd also be possible (and easier) to maintain the code you've written
> independent of mainline GDB.

On a more general note I'd like to see loadable module support added to
GDB. This would allow people to maintain GDB extensions independently of
GDB. There are a number of things that I see adding to GDB that are only
interesting if you have a very large complex system and hence would
never be interesting for the majority of GDB users.


			-Kip