289663 - Do something about Win32.order

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 335180

(Firefox Build System :: General, defect)

Description

[ArronM (:paper)]

Feel free to re-assign to proper component if my guess isn't correct.

(Branched from Bug 289515 Comment #4)
Apparently win32.order was used to "reorder symbols in the DLLs/executables so
that they can be loaded faster" (quote from biesi, 09:34 on Sept 19, 2003).  

Also, from Aug 1, 2003:
11:25 < timeless> tehre's code that generates win32.order files
11:26 < timeless> it isn't in the build path, i need to poke it the next time
i'm in windows

Now, I don't know if one can safely go into the win32.order file and edit it, or
run the win32.order generator.

And finally, on June 23, 2003, the longest conversation on win32.order that I
could find
11:34 < tor> how about the win32.order files?
11:34 < bsmedberg> are those still used?
11:35 < tor> given they haven't been updated for years, probably not heavily
11:35 < d33p> i think thats the only dependecy on the mozilla precompiled binaries
11:35 < d33p> otherwise it could be a slew of things 
11:36 < biesi> bsmedberg: they aren't used
11:36 < biesi> bsmedberg: but when I asked someone (cathleen?) about them, the
answer was "let's keep them just in case"
11:37 < bsmedberg> heh, that's silly
11:37 <@cls> welcome to Mozilla
11:39 < biesi> I think we also have some leftovers from the nmake build system


I vote on removal of all Win32.order files.  List of files:
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/find?string=win32.order

Comment 1

[Justin Wood (:Callek)]

I do not claim to know anything on this (in-fact I know next to nothing).

But for sake of descussion it seems to be "used" when MOZ_COVERAGE is set.

http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/search?string=win32.order

http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/search?string=MOZ_COVERAGE

Comment 2

[Bernard Alleysson]

Some explanation here:
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/config/trace.cpp#39

Using MOZ_COVERAGE has two steps. First you define MOZ_COVERAGE, you run a test
scenario to collect win32.order data, then you define MOZ_COVERAGE and
MOZ_NO_COVERAGE and it will use the data collected previously to optimize the
binary files.
win32.order are very old and totally obsolete, they can be removed but
MOZ_COVERAGE stuff could be left in.

Comment 3

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

dupe of bug 335180?

Comment 4

[(not currently active) Ted Mielczarek]

Sounds reasonable.