Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!cs.columbia.edu!kearns
From: kearns@cs.columbia.edu (Steve Kearns)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Borland Turbo C++ compile size
Summary: smart linking is good
Keywords: topspeed linking
Message-ID: <1990Aug4.233013.20500@cs.columbia.edu>
Date: 4 Aug 90 23:30:13 GMT
References: <7921@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> <380@taumet.com>
Reply-To: kearns@cs.columbia.edu (Steve Kearns)
Followup-To: comp.lang.c++
Organization: Columbia University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 16

The "problem" with "hello world" in C++ illustrates the need for
smart linking, as provided by the Topspeed C compiler:  it only includes,
in an executable, the functions and variables actually needed for the
program being linked.  In contrast, all other linkers I know about today
include every function and variable defined in a file, if just 1 function
or variable is accessed.  

Since C++ encourages the creation of large robust classes, one expects
that a class implementation will contain a number of functions that
are not actually used in an application.  Smart linking relieves the fear
that using a large class for a simple purpose imposes a severe penalty on
memory usage and program size.  

How about it, compiler vendors?  Give us smart linking, please!

-steve