how dynamic stack approximation works

[pepe]

On 17/02/2009, at 9:46, Simon Marlow wrote:

> Peter Hercek wrote:
>> pepe wrote:
>>> Having (a kind of messy approximation of) a dynamic stack is  
>>> possible with a variant of the cost center stacks mechanism used  
>>> for profiling. But the downside is that code and libraries would  
>>> need to be compiled for debugging.
>> Is there any info somewhere why the approximation of the dynamic  
>> stack needs libraries to be recompiled for debugging? I thought  
>> about it but I could not figure out why it would be needed. Here is  
>> what I thought is the way it works:
>
> I have the feeling that pepe is talking about *lexical* call stacks,  
> rather than *dynamic* call stacks.  Cost-centre-stacks try to give  
> you the lexcial call stack (but sadly don't always work properly,  
> and as I've said before we don't fully understand how to do it, or  
> indeed whether it can be done at all...).  It probably *would*  
> require recompiling the libraries, though.
>

Yes, I was meaning lexical call stacks, as Simon suggests. Apologies  
for the confusion, Peter.

pepe