Compiler Options Hardening Guide for C and C++

It is hard that people have to remember these options on a per-compiler basis. I'd rather prefer people use easy to remember flags like `-O2` than the word soup mentioned here.

Compiler writers should revisit their option matrices and come up with easy defaults today.

Disclaimer: Used to work on the GCC code for option handling back in the day. Options like -O2 map to a whole bunch of individual options, and people only needed to remember adding -O2, which corresponded to different values in every era and yet subjectively meant: decently optimized code.

> I'd rather prefer people use easy to remember flags

Like -fhardened?

Sure.

-f is technically machine independent.

-m should be used when having it implemented as machine dependent options.

So if you are telling me all these security features are only developed without requiring to implement per machine level support then it makes sense.