Subject: bug#22058: 25.1.50; emacs_backtrace.txt

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2015 08:56:42 -0800 (PST)

> > > > I run Emacs using `runemacs' in the bin directory.
> > >
> > > It is easier to run emacs.exe directly, like John suggested.
> > > When GDB shows its prompt, type "run" and press RET to start 
> > > Emacs.
> >
> > No idea what "directly" means here.
> 
> It means invoke emacs.exe rather than runemacs.exe (which invokes
> emacs.exe under the hood).

In that case, I said clearly that I did just that - "like John
suggested."  (I _normally_ run Emacs using `runemacs', to avoid
the command window.)

> > > You will find the latest GDB compiled for Windows here:
> > > http://sourceforge.net/projects/ezwinports/files/gdb-7.10-w32-
> > > bin.zip/download
> >
> > OK, thanks.  I tried using that and got the attached error.
> > What's the easiest way to remedy this?
> 
> The text below from the README file should get you started.

I had actually read that text.  (I saw it at the top level of 
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ezwinports/files/ - didn't
bother to download README.txt for ezwinports.)

One question is whether I need to use 7.10 for the backtraces
that you are requesting or I can use the "outdated version
7.6.1" that dispenses with needing to install python (which I
do not need).

In the latter case, perhaps the README should say where to get
7.6.1?  The text says only "The MinGW site offers it", with no
info about where that is (AFAICT).  Elsewhere in the README a
URL for MinGW (for libiconv) can be found, so I can indirectly
find the site: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/MinGW/.
(There are 21 mentions of "MinGW" in that "README" text, but
there is only one URL that I can find, which is for libiconv.)

Eventually, searching each of the directories at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/MinGW/, I found gdb:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/MinGW/Extension/gdb/.

Should I use that, or must I really install python, just
to be able to give you an Emacs backtrace from gdb?

(This is already taking longer than I really want to devote
to this, FWIW.)

> > (Why doesn't the gdb binary include everything it needs?)
> 
> Because I don't want to distribute Python, including its sources.

GDB 7.10 cannot be used without python?  Why is that?
(No, I don't really care.  It just seems odd, a priori.)