hmm, I think I know which patch, I will look at it later today as Zack (who I
think wrote the patch) is 
gone until later next week and I feel responsible for libobjc and for causing
the bootstrap failure as I 
had to do with the patch (I think it is one of the IMA patches).

Confirmed. hmm it works correctly at -O0 or -O2 -fno-unit-at-a-time

Subject: Re:  [3.5 Regression] [unit-at-a-time] Solaris 10/x86 libobjc
bootstrap failure: invalid assembler code

pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org writes:

> Confirmed. hmm it works correctly at -O0 or -O2 -fno-unit-at-a-time

Indeed: compiling the few affected files with -O2 -fno-unit-at-a-time let
the bootstrap finish.  Testsuite run in progress.

    Rainer

Do you know if this happens any more?

Subject: Re:  [4.0 Regression] [unit-at-a-time] Solaris 10/x86 libobjc
bootstrap failure: invalid assembler code

pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org writes:

> Do you know if this happens any more?

It does: I just tried mainline as of 20040910, and building libobjc failed
in the same way (but with the same workaround).  Unfortunately, I've got a
new failure linking libgcj.so, so the bootstrap doesn't complete even with
the workaround.

    Rainer

Reduced testcase:
@implementation NXConstantString
-(const char *) cString
{
  return 0;
}
@end

The type of the decl is wrong.
I think I have a fix, just needs testing with both NeXT runtime and GNU runtime.

Can you try this patch (I am testing it right now on powerpc-darwin for the
NeXT runtime), the code I 
am removing dates back before EGCS:
Index: objc-act.c
===============================================================
====
RCS file: /cvs/gcc/gcc/gcc/objc/objc-act.c,v
retrieving revision 1.248
diff -u -p -r1.248 objc-act.c
--- objc-act.c    24 Sep 2004 23:15:33 -0000    1.248
+++ objc-act.c    28 Sep 2004 03:29:33 -0000
@@ -3754,9 +3754,6 @@ static void
 generate_method_descriptors (tree protocol)
 {
   tree initlist, chain, method_list_template;
-  tree variable_length_type
-    = xref_tag (RECORD_TYPE,
-        get_identifier (UTAG_METHOD_PROTOTYPE_LIST));
   int size;

   if (!objc_method_prototype_template)
@@ -3779,7 +3776,6 @@ generate_method_descriptors (tree protoc
     = generate_descriptor_table (method_list_template,
                      "_OBJC_PROTOCOL_CLASS_METHODS",
                      size, initlist, protocol);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_CLASS_METHODS_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_CLASS_METHODS_decl = 0;
@@ -3800,7 +3796,6 @@ generate_method_descriptors (tree protoc
     = generate_descriptor_table (method_list_template,
                      "_OBJC_PROTOCOL_INSTANCE_METHODS",
                      size, initlist, protocol);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_INSTANCE_METHODS_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_INSTANCE_METHODS_decl = 0;
@@ -4484,8 +4479,6 @@ static void
 generate_ivar_lists (void)
 {
   tree initlist, ivar_list_template, chain;
-  tree variable_length_type
-    = xref_tag (RECORD_TYPE, get_identifier (UTAG_IVAR_LIST));
   int size;

   generating_instance_variables = 1;
@@ -4507,7 +4500,6 @@ generate_ivar_lists (void)
       UOBJC_CLASS_VARIABLES_decl
     = generate_ivars_list (ivar_list_template, "_OBJC_CLASS_VARIABLES",
                    size, initlist);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_CLASS_VARIABLES_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_CLASS_VARIABLES_decl = 0;
@@ -4522,7 +4514,6 @@ generate_ivar_lists (void)
       UOBJC_INSTANCE_VARIABLES_decl
     = generate_ivars_list (ivar_list_template, "_OBJC_INSTANCE_VARIABLES",
                    size, initlist);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_INSTANCE_VARIABLES_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_INSTANCE_VARIABLES_decl = 0;
@@ -4654,8 +4645,6 @@ static void
 generate_dispatch_tables (void)
 {
   tree initlist, chain, method_list_template;
-  tree variable_length_type
-    = xref_tag (RECORD_TYPE, get_identifier (UTAG_METHOD_LIST));
   int size;

   if (!objc_method_template)
@@ -4678,7 +4667,6 @@ generate_dispatch_tables (void)
                     ? "_OBJC_CLASS_METHODS"
                     : "_OBJC_CATEGORY_CLASS_METHODS"),
                    size, initlist);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_CLASS_METHODS_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_CLASS_METHODS_decl = 0;
@@ -4704,7 +4692,6 @@ generate_dispatch_tables (void)
       = generate_dispatch_table (method_list_template,
                      "_OBJC_CATEGORY_INSTANCE_METHODS",
                      size, initlist);
-      TREE_TYPE (UOBJC_INSTANCE_METHODS_decl) = variable_length_type;
     }
   else
     UOBJC_INSTANCE_METHODS_decl = 0;

Patch here: <http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2004-09/msg02909.html>.

Subject: Re:  [4.0 Regression] [unit-at-a-time] Solaris 10/x86 libobjc
bootstrap failure: invalid assembler code

pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org writes:

> Patch here: <http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2004-09/msg02909.html>.

I've just verified that current mainline still fails to build objc without
this patch, but the bootstrap succeeds with it, and i386-pc-solaris2.10
objc test results are good:

                === objc Summary ===

# of expected passes            1421
# of unsupported tests          7

Thanks.
    Rainer

Subject: Re:  [4.0 Regression] [unit-at-a-time] Solaris 10/x86 libobjc
bootstrap failure: invalid assembler code

Unfortunately the patch has remained unreviewed for a month now and the
bootstrap failure exists for almost two months ;-(

    Rainer

Fixed finnally.

Subject: Bug 16546

CVSROOT:	/cvs/gcc
Module name:	gcc
Changes by:	pinskia@gcc.gnu.org	2004-11-08 21:34:38

Modified files:
	gcc/objc       : ChangeLog objc-act.c 

Log message:
	2004-11-08  Andrew Pinski  <pinskia@physics.uc.edu>
	
	PR objc/16546
	* objc-act.c (generate_method_descriptors): Remove setting
	the new decls' type to variable_length_type.
	(generate_ivar_lists): Likewise.
	(generate_dispatch_tables): Likewise.

Patches:
http://gcc.gnu.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/gcc/gcc/objc/ChangeLog.diff?cvsroot=gcc&r1=1.16&r2=1.17
http://gcc.gnu.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/gcc/gcc/objc/objc-act.c.diff?cvsroot=gcc&r1=1.253&r2=1.254