-xs

Allows debugging by dbx without object (.o) files.

This option disables Auto-Read for dbx. Use this option if you cannot keep the .o files around. This option passes the -s option to the assembler.

No Auto-Read is the older way of loading symbol tables. It places all symbol tables for dbx in the executable file. The linker links more slowly, and dbx initializes more slowly.

Auto-Read is the newer and default way of loading symbol tables. With Auto-Read the information is placed in the .o files, so that dbx loads the symbol table information only if it is needed. Hence the linker links faster, and dbx initializes faster.

With -xs, if you move executables to another directory, you do not have to move the object (.o) files to use dbx.

Without -xs, if you move the executables to another directory, you must move both the source files and the object (.o) files to use dbx.