Compose David Lattimore – Faster Linker, Faster Builds
Jun 3, 2025
David Lattimore is on a mission to expedite builds in Rust projects with his innovative linker, Wild. He shares insights into the complex world of linkers, discussing their critical role in optimizing code compilation. The conversation dives into challenges around linking processes, especially the interaction between Rust and C, and highlights features that can enhance development environments. Lattimore also emphasizes the quest for immediate feedback in programming, making a case for balancing performance with usability in the ever-evolving coding landscape.
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Linker Deduplication Depends on Compiler
- Linkers can deduplicate identical strings and sections across object files if the compiler signals it.
- Deduplication improves efficiency but requires explicit compiler flags for merging sections.
Trade-offs of Identical Code Folding
- Identical code folding deduplicates identical function code but is expensive to perform.
- Speed priorities for development often outweigh benefits of this costly optimization.
Optimize Build Speed with Flags
- Adjust linker flags and debug info settings to optimize build speed.
- Use split debug info or strip flags to speed up linking without losing necessary debug data.