a while back, gcc switched from using the old _init/_fini fragments
method for calling ctors and dtors on arm to the __init_array and
__fini_array method. unfortunately, on glibc this depends on ugly
hacks involving making libc.so a linker script and pulling parts of
libc into the main program binary. so I cheat a little bit, and just
write asm to iterate over the init/fini arrays from the _init/_fini
asm. the same approach could be used on any arch it's needed on, but
for now arm is the only one.
lr must be saved because init/fini-section code from the compiler
clobbers it. this was not a problem when i tested without gcc's
crtbegin/crtend files present, but with them, musl on arm fails to
work (infinite loop in _init).
this is mainly in hopes of supporting c++ (not yet possible for other
reasons) but will also help applications/libraries which use (and more
often, abuse) the gcc __attribute__((__constructor__)) feature in "C"
code.
x86_64 and arm versions of the new startup asm are untested and may
have minor problems.
Rich Felker