Mesa abandons LTO optimizations

The Mesa project, known for its open-source implementation of graphics APIs, has announced the decision to block the use of Link-Time Optimization (LTO) during the compilation phase. This choice is motivated by the presence of hard-to-find bugs that manifest when Mesa is compiled with LTO.

Debugging issues

LTO optimizations are a compilation technique that can lead to improvements in software performance. However, LTO also makes the debugging process more complex. Bugs introduced by LTO can be difficult to track down and fix, leading to instability and unexpected software behavior.

Implications

Disabling LTO in Mesa may have an impact on performance, but it is expected to make code development and maintenance easier and more reliable. This decision highlights the trade-off between performance and stability in complex software development.