2002-12-19 09:18:14 +01:00
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
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<head>
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<meta name="AUTHOR" content="bkoz@gcc.gnu.org (Benjamin Kosnik)" />
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<meta name="KEYWORDS" content="c++, libstdc++, gdb, g++, debug" />
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<meta name="DESCRIPTION" content="Debugging C++ binaries" />
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<meta name="GENERATOR" content="vi and ten fingers" />
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<title>Debugging schemes and strategies</title>
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<link rel="StyleSheet" href="lib3styles.css" />
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1 class="centered"><a name="top">Debugging schemes and strategies</a></h1>
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<p class="fineprint"><em>
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<p>The latest version of this document is always available at
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<a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/debug.html">
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http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/debug.html</a>.
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</p>
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<p>To the <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/libstdc++/">libstdc++-v3 homepage</a>.
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</p>
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</em></p>
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<!-- ####################################################### -->
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<hr />
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>There are numerous things that can be done to improve the ease with
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2002-12-19 09:18:14 +01:00
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which C++ binaries are debugged when using the GNU C++
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tool chain. Here are some things to keep in mind when debugging C++
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code with GNU tools.
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</p>
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<h3 class="left"><a name="g++">Compiler flags determine debug info</a></h3>
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<p>The default optimizations and debug flags for a libstdc++ build are
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<code>-g -O2</code>. However, both debug and optimization flags can
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be varied to change debugging characteristics. For instance,
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turning off all optimization via the <code>-g -O0</code> flag will
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disable inlining, so that stepping through all functions, including
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inlined constructors and destructors, is possible. Or, the debug
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format that the compiler and debugger use to communicate
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information about source constructs can be changed via <code>
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-gdwarf-2 </code> or <code> -gstabs </code> flags: some debugging
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formats permit more expressive type and scope information to be
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shown in gdb.
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The default debug information for a particular platform can be
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identified via the value set by the PREFERRED_DEBUGGING_TYPE macro
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in the gcc sources.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>Many other options are available: please see
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<a href=http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Debugging-Options.html#Debugging%20Options> "Options for Debugging Your Program" </a>
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in Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) for a complete list.
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</p>
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<h3 class="left"><a name="lib">Using special flags to make a debug binary</a></h3>
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<p>There are two ways to build libstdc++ with debug flags. The first
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is to run make from the toplevel in a freshly-configured tree with
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specialized debug <code>CXXFLAGS</code>, as in <dd> <code> make
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CXXFLAGS='-g3 -O0' all </code></dd>
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>This quick and dirty approach is often sufficient for quick
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debugging tasks, but the lack of state can be confusing in the long
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term.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>A second approach is to use the configuration flags
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</p>
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<dd><code>--enable-debug</code></dd>
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<p>and perhaps</p>
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<dd><code>--enable-debug-flags='...'</code></dd>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>to create a separate debug build. Both the normal build and the
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debug build will persist, without having to specify
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<code>CXXFLAGS</code>, and the debug library will be installed in a
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separate directory tree, in <code>(prefix)/lib/debug</code>. For
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more information, look at the configuration options document
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<a href=http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/configopts.html>here</a>
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</p>
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<h3 class="left"><a name="mem">Tips for memory leak hunting</a></h3>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>There are various third party memory tracing and debug utilities
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that can be used to provide detailed memory allocation information
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about C++ code. An exhaustive list of tools is not going to be
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attempted, but include <code>mtrace</code>, <code>valgrind</code>,
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<code>mudflap</code>, and <code>purify</code>. Also highly
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recommended are <code>libcwd</code> and some other one that I
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forget right now.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>Regardless of the memory debugging tool being used, there is one
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thing of great importance to keep in mind when debugging C++ code
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that uses <code>new</code> and <code>delete</code>:
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there are different kinds of allocation schemes that can be used by
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<code> std::allocator </code>. For implementation details, see this
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<a href=http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/ext/howto.html#3>
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document </a> and look specifically for <code>GLIBCPP_FORCE_NEW</code>.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>In a nutshell, the default allocator used by <code>
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std::allocator</code> is a high-performance pool allocator, and can
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give the mistaken impression that memory is being leaked, when in
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reality the memory is reclaimed after program termination.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>For valgrind, there are some specific items to keep in mind. First
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of all, use a version of valgrind that will work with current GNU
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C++ tools: the first that can do this is valgrind 1.0.4, but later
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versions should work at least as well. Second of all, use a
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completely unoptimized build to avoid confusing valgrind. Third,
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use GLIBCPP_FORCE_NEW to keep extraneous pool allocation noise from
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cluttering debug information.
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</p>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>Fourth, it may be necessary to force deallocation in other
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libraries as well, namely the "C" library. On linux, this can be
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accomplished with the appropriate use of the
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<code>__cxa_atexit</code> or <code>atexit</code> functions.
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</p>
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<pre>
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#include <cstdlib>
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extern "C" void __libc_freeres(void);
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void do_something() { }
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int main()
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{
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atexit(__libc_freeres);
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do_something();
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return 0;
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}
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</pre>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>or, using <code>__cxa_atexit</code>:</p>
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<pre>
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extern "C" void __libc_freeres(void);
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extern "C" int __cxa_atexit(void (*func) (void *), void *arg, void *d);
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void do_something() { }
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int main()
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{
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extern void* __dso_handle __attribute__ ((__weak__));
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__cxa_atexit((void (*) (void *)) __libc_freeres, NULL,
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&__dso_handle ? __dso_handle : NULL);
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do_test();
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return 0;
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}
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</pre>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<p>Suggested valgrind flags, given the suggestions above about setting
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up the runtime environment, library, and test file, might be:
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<dd><code>valgrind -v --num-callers=20 --leak-check=yes
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--leak-resolution=high --show-reachable=yes a.out</code></dd>
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</p>
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<h3 class="left"><a name="gdb">Some gdb strategies</a></h3>
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<p>Many options are available for gdb itself: please see <a
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href=http://sources.redhat.com/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb_13.html#SEC109>
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"GDB features for C++" </a> in the gdb documentation. Also
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recommended: the other parts of this manual.
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</p>
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<p>These settings can either be switched on in at the gdb command
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line, or put into a .gdbint file to establish default debugging
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characteristics, like so:
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</p>
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<pre>
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set print pretty on
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set print object on
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set print static-members on
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set print vtbl on
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set print demangle on
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set demangle-style gnu-v3
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</pre>
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2002-12-26 22:14:19 +01:00
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<h3 class="left"><a name="verbterm">Tracking uncaught exceptions</a></h3>
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<p>The <a href="19_diagnostics/howto.html#4">verbose termination handler</a>
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gives information about uncaught exceptions which are killing the
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program. It is described in the linked-to page.
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</p>
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2002-12-19 09:18:14 +01:00
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<p>Return <a href="#top">to the top of the page</a> or
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<a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/libstdc++/">to the libstdc++ homepage</a>.
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</p>
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<!-- ####################################################### -->
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<hr />
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<p class="fineprint"><em>
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See <a href="17_intro/license.html">license.html</a> for copying conditions.
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Comments and suggestions are welcome, and may be sent to
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<a href="mailto:libstdc++@gcc.gnu.org">the libstdc++ mailing list</a>.
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</em></p>
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</body>
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</html>
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