Re: Obfuscation - optimisation?

[Andrew Haley <aph at redhat dot com>]

Martin Egholm Nielsen writes:
 > Hello!
 > 
 > >>>>>> When using classes one can use obfuscation/optimisation
 > >>>>>> tools on class-files (e.g. progaurd) in order to reduce
 > >>>>>> footprint,
 > >>> Well, what do you want to achieve?  All that "obfuscation" would
 > >>> do in the gcj context is break debugging.
 > >> Well, it would make all classes significant smaller - at least it
 > >> does in the class-file situation. All the
 > >> niceAndDescriptiveMethodName() methods and fields will have their
 > >> names decimated into something that does not take up so much space.
 > >> Hence, the final program will have a smaller footprint when
 > >> fitting it into an embedded device with not that much flash.
 > > Ah, now I understand.  Embedded devices, presumably not using virtual
 > > memory.  On a machine that does use virtual memory using such a
 > > system would make no sense at all, but if you want to squeeze such
 > > stuff into flash it might.
 > Hopefully yes! :-)
 > And maybe in memory footprint? I don't quite know how the 
 > memory-model/behaviour is.

It might.  I don't know what the obfuscator does, but if it shortens
the names of methods and fields the file will be smaller.  However,
other stuff will stop working it it does this, so I don't believe it
can help very much.

Andrew.