Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 14:31:55 -0700 From: Alfred Perlstein <alfred@freebsd.org> To: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@phk.freebsd.dk> Cc: Bruce M Simpson <bms@incunabulum.net>, freebsd-arch@freebsd.org Subject: Re: C++ in the kernel Message-ID: <20071102213155.GS77844@elvis.mu.org> In-Reply-To: <4755.1194036771@critter.freebsd.dk> References: <20071102203803.GO77844@elvis.mu.org> <4755.1194036771@critter.freebsd.dk>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
* Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@phk.freebsd.dk> [071102 13:53] wrote: > In message <20071102203803.GO77844@elvis.mu.org>, Alfred Perlstein writes: > > >A policy that might be interesting is to do something along > >the lines of what we do with GPL, basically, core code in the > >kernel can not be based on nor depend on it. > > I don't know if this is realistically possible, without some > kind of intermediate layer to translate, for instance inline > assembly. > > But apart from it being a lot of, currently, pointless work that > would really gain us anything, as long as no viable competitors to > GCC exists, I fully agree: Either you take portability seriously > (ie: run with any compiler) or you handle portability seriously > (ie: run it through our frontend, so any compiler can cope). > > But in any case, this is all very theoretical until there are > a non-comical alternative compiler for us. I really don't understand what you're saying here. All I'm saying is that if we choose to "support" C++ (or any other language), we can come to a compromise where core code does not depend on it, at least for some timeframe so as to ease people's fears. I would honestly hate to see anything added and within a week or a month there are key systems that _used to work just fine_ retrofitted to depend on said compiler/tool/preprocessor/whatever. Such things need to be vetted through optional components first for a time period to ensure that they are viable and at least somewhat future proof. -- - Alfred Perlstein
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20071102213155.GS77844>