[GHC] #8405: experiment with using function-sections for linking (for smaller libs and executables)

[GHC]

#8405: experiment with using function-sections for linking (for smaller libs and
executables)
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       Reporter:  carter            |             Owner:
           Type:  task              |            Status:  new
       Priority:  normal            |         Milestone:  7.10.1
      Component:  Compiler          |           Version:  7.6.3
       Keywords:                    |  Operating System:  Unknown/Multiple
   Architecture:  Unknown/Multiple  |   Type of failure:  None/Unknown
     Difficulty:  Unknown           |         Test Case:
     Blocked By:                    |          Blocking:
Related Tickets:                    |
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 currently the only  support we have for making small (ish) executables
 using split objects, which

 1. is not on by default, for various good reasons

 2. can seriously penalize compile times

 3. in tandem, something like strip is often used, but on some
 platforms/targets (such as the iOS cross compiler), strip will actually
 break things

 might be worth seriously experimenting with function-sections / gc-
 sections in the object files we generate.

 example slide deck on this http://elinux.org/images/2/2d/ELC2010-gc-
 sections_Denys_Vlasenko.pdf

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Ticket URL: <http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/8405>
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