Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 12:02:04 -0800 From: "Ronald F. Guilmette" <rfg@monkeys.com> To: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: [OFFTOPIC] alt. C compiler Message-ID: <87502.947016124@monkeys.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of Tue, 04 Jan 2000 11:30:33 -0800. <200001041930.LAA18657@screech.weirdnoise.com>
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In message <200001041930.LAA18657@screech.weirdnoise.com>, Ed Hall <edhall@screech.weirdnoise.com> wrote: >One of the issues with an alternative compiler is that you'll likely need >to keep GCC and associated tools around anyway, for ports, kernels, and >updates. Probably not a problem, but occasionally multiple tool chains >can be a pain. Make that a ``major pain''. As I mentioned, `a compiler', all by itself, is generally not what people who ask for `a compiler' want. Almost without exception, they also want a full set of _compatible_ system include files, a _compatible_ set of libraries, and usually also a _compatible_ source-level debugger. Even though I haven't done this stuff for awhile, I still get calls on occasion from people who want to contract me to do ``a GCC port'' to some new processor they are building. More than 90% of the time, they are under the impression that this is trivial 2 month job that any grad student could do... and in a way, they are correct. When they ask me for a quote, I ask them if the want a set of compatible header files, a compatible set of libraries, and a compatible debugger too. Typically, they tell me that they will have to check with someone else about these things, and then I never hear from them again. I attribute this to their realization that (a) there is a big difference between a `compiler' and a complete `compilation system' and (b) that they really want a complete compilation system and (c) they can't actually afford a complete compilation system. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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