In the dev.link branch we implemented the new object file format
and (part of) the linker improvements described in
https://golang.org/s/better-linker
The new object file is index-based and provides random access.
The linker maps the object files into read-only memory, and
access symbols on-demand using indices, as opposed to reading
all object files sequentially into the heap with the old format.
The linker carries symbol informations using indices (as opposed
to Symbol data structure). Symbols are created after the
reachability analysis, and only created for reachable symbols.
This reduces the linker's memory usage.
Linking cmd/compile, it creates ~25% fewer Symbols, and reduces
memory usage (inuse_space) by ~15%. (More results from Than.)
Currently, both the old and new object file formats are supported.
The old format is used by default. The new format can be turned
on by using the compiler/assembler/linker's -newobj flag. Note
that the flag needs to be specified consistently to all
compilations, i.e.
go build -gcflags=all=-newobj -asmflags=all=-newobj -ldflags=-newobj