From: Nate Eldredge <neldredge AT hmc DOT edu>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: Big EXE's
Date: 10 Dec 1999 10:27:31 -0800
Organization: InterWorld Communications
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"Jason Barrows" <jbarrows AT mweb DOT com> writes:

> Hello Everybody
> 
> How come when I compile source that is 3 lines long using DJGPP and Rhide, I
> end up with an exe that is 270 kilobytes or more.  That sounds crazy to me.

Actually, that sounds about right for a C++ program.

It can be made significantly smaller by:

1. Stripping debug info (compile with the -s flag)
2. Compressing the executable (get DJP or UPX).  This brings it down
to about 70K.

See also FAQ section 8.13.

> Am i doing something wrong?  I sincerely hope so, cause who would wanna use
> a compiler like that...  :)

Evidently, we do.  A compiler does have other properties besides
executable size, you know.

(Pedantically, it's not the compiler that makes the executables large,
it's the library.)

-- 

Nate Eldredge
neldredge AT hmc DOT edu