Re: [fortran, patch] Allow displaying backtraces from user code

[Steve Kargl <sgk at troutmask dot apl dot washington dot edu>]

On Sat, Mar 03, 2012 at 08:44:56AM +0100, FX wrote:
> PR 36044 (http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=36044) is an enhancement request for a way to display backtraces from user code. I'm against adding yet another nonstandard intrinsic for this purpose (which is how Intel Fortran does it), but I would like to offer the following solution to the issue, as I think it can be useful in some cases (and the way I suggest should not be a maintainance burden for us):
> 
>   -- export _gfortran_show_backtrace() from libgfortran (instead of it being an internal function)
>   -- add documentation on how to call this function from user-code using BIND(C)
> 
> Patch was bootstrapped and regtested on x86_64-apple-darwin11, also tested with "make info html pdf". OK for trunk?
> FX
> 
> 

I think that this approach is a mistake.  The patch
starts us down a slippery slope.  Why not export all
the nonstandard intrinsics?  In additions, the 
_gfortran_ prefix was used to separate the libgfortran
namespace from userspace.  Providing a means to 
circumvent this separation seems to asking for more
PR.

I would rather see a new intrinsic procedure add to
gfortran.  The standard does not prevent a vendor
from offer additional intrinsic procedures not found
in the standard.

-- 
Steve