Here's the FM That I Read.... `-gLEVEL' `-ggdbLEVEL' `-gstabsLEVEL' `-gcoffLEVEL' `-gxcoffLEVEL' `-gvmsLEVEL' Request debugging information and also use LEVEL to specify how much information. The default level is 2. Level 1 produces minimal information, enough for making backtraces in parts of the program that you don't plan to debug. This includes descriptions of functions and external variables, but no information about local variables and no line numbers. Level 3 includes extra information, such as all the macro definitions present in the program. Some debuggers support macro expansion when you use `-g3'. `-gdwarf-2' does not accept a concatenated debug level, because GCC used to support an option `-gdwarf' that meant to generate debug information in version 1 of the DWARF format (which is very different from version 2), and it would have been too confusing. That debug format is long obsolete, but the option cannot be changed now. Instead use an additional `-gLEVEL' option to change the debug level for DWARF2. Someone recommended we use -g3 -ggdb3 when debugging with gdb. It seems to bloat the ELF files hugely. Three questions... Q1 Which is the best setting to use with gdb (under linux)? Q2 Is there anyway to decrease the bloat? Q3 Do we need to say -g3 -ggdb3 or is -ggdb3 sufficient? Thanks, John Carter Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639 Tait Electronics Fax : (64)(3) 359 4632 PO Box 1645 Christchurch Email : john.carter@xxxxxxxxxx New Zealand