-flto with -fwhole-program or -fuse-linker-plugin

[Hei Chan]

Hi,

I am reading:
http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Optimize-Options.html


It first suggests:
In combination with -flto using this option(-fwhole-program) should not be used. Instead relying on a linker plugin should provide **safer and more precise information.**

And then, it suggests:
If the program does not require any symbols to be exported, it is possible to combine -flto and -fwhole-program to allow the interprocedural optimizers to use more aggressive assumptions which may lead to improved optimization opportunities. Use of -fwhole-program is not needed when linker plugin is active (see -fuse-linker-plugin).


Does it mean that in theory, using -fuse-linker-plugin with -flto always gets a better optimized executable than using -fwhole-program with -flto?

Thanks in advance.


Cheers,
Hei