https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28254
--- Comment #7 from Dietmar May <dcmay at copper dot net> --- OK. From the AS manual: "If no flags are specified, the default flags depend upon the section name. If the section name is not recognized, the default will be for the section to be loaded and writable." Were the section named something that GAS recognizes as executable, like .text or .init, GAS would flag it as executable and emit debugging information. So because .rom_section is an unknown name, GAS in effect says, "Hey, this is executable code. Let me compile it. Hey, it's not flagged as an executable section. Must be a virus payload. It's not going to be run from within this program. No need to provide any debugging information." And it worked with binutils 2.35.1 because even though GAS viewed it as a non-executable section, it compiled it (OK, assembled it) and generated debug information. However, with the PR, GAS still assembles it, but doesn't generate the debug information any longer. Works as documented. But maybe not as expected? Maybe if a section has no flags, but contains executable code, the section should default to "executable section" instead of "writable section"? -- You are receiving this mail because: You are on the CC list for the bug.