Bug description: An object that has only public variables is placed in an archive. Linking against that archive fails: probably ld doesn't link in the .o from the archive because it contains only public variables.
gcc -v output: Reading specs from /usr/lib/gcc/powerpc-apple-darwin8/4.0.0/specs Configured with: /private/var/tmp/gcc/gcc-4061.obj~8/src/configure --disable-checking --prefix=/usr --mandir=/share/man --enable-languages=c,objc,c++,obj-c++ --program-transform-name=/^[cg][^+.-]*$/s/$/-4.0/ --with-gxx-include-dir=/include/gcc/darwin/4.0/c++ --build=powerpc-apple-darwin8 --host=powerpc-apple-darwin8 --target=powerpc-apple-darwin8 Thread model: posix gcc version 4.0.0 20041026 (Apple Computer, Inc. build 4061) Problem description: I create a file "data.c" with herein a variable definition: int winner = 666; I compile data.c into data.o (gcc -c -o data.o data.c) and add it to libdata.a using ar rs libdata.a data.o ranlib libdata.a Now I compile a program that accesses the variable winner, e.g. the following main.c: #include <stdio.h> extern int winner; int main () { printf ("The winner is %d\n", winner); return (0); } The compilation / linkage: cc -o main.o main.c cc -o main -L. -ldata main.o BUG: ld won't select data.o out of libdata.a to link with main.o. There's an unresolved reference to _winner. -- Summary: LD doesn't link in an object from an archive when the object has only public variables Product: gcc Version: 4.0.0 Status: UNCONFIRMED Severity: normal Priority: P3 Component: c AssignedTo: unassigned at gcc dot gnu dot org ReportedBy: karel at kubat dot nl http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26699