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Date:      Tue, 11 Feb 2003 15:28:55 -0800
From:      Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>
To:        Fred Clift <fclift@verio.net>
Cc:        freebsd-alpha@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Open Watcom compiler
Message-ID:  <3E498737.22D2187A@mindspring.com>
References:  <20030211140121.M19793-100000@vespa.dmz.orem.verio.net>

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Fred Clift wrote:
> So you are saying there is a significant drive to move to tendra rather
> than gcc?
> 
> Sure everyone gripes about gcc, but there are a LOT of gccisms in the code
> - it would be a major undertaking to mvoe to a new compiler.
> 
> Would you care to lists the bennefits of doing this?

#1:	It will shut up the gripes about GCC (everyone)

#2:	It will shut up the gripes about the GPL (mostly commercial
	interests)

#3:	It will make it easier to port FreeBSD to a new platform,
	where GCC is not currently supported:

	A:	No need to become the GCC maintainer for that platform,
		and be license-bound to provide an FTP archive for a
		year and a half

	B:	No need to chase bugs, not knowing if it's the OS or
		the compiler that's at fault, only to find out later
		that it's the compiler.

#4:	It will enable the use of compilers which generate better
	code for a given platform than GCC could ever hope to
	generate in the next 10 years (e.g. Compaq CC for Alpha,
	ICC for Intel Pentium 4 and IA64 architectures, SunSoft
	compiler for SPARC)

#5:	It will end threads like this one in the mailing lists

-- Terry

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