Re: [objc-improvements-branch] About to start ObjC++

[steve naroff]

David,

I work with Zem and will chime in here (and help answer your 
questions...).

I wrote the ObjC frontend and NeXT/Apple runtime in 1988. Objective-C++ 
was written in the summer of 1989 to support the development of Lotus 
Improv (initially).

The reason the background is interesting is the 
following...Objective-C++ has been successfully used within the 
NeXT/Apple community for almost 15 years! That is, Objective-C++ isn't 
research...it is a product that has been in used for many years now. As 
a result, we care about source compatibility.

When ObjC++ was written, there was thought/hope that the ANSI-C and 
ANSI-C++ standardization efforts would "converge" (and it would become 
the "modern" dialect). Since they never did, we are left with two 
dialects of ObjC (unfortunately...we would prefer to have one:-) Here 
are some answers to your questions...

> Will the objc++ frontend work with the GNU runtime?

Yes. Objective-C++ didn't require any changes to the Apple 
runtime...the same should be true for the GNU runtime.

> If not, will you accept patches to the branch to make it work, even if 
> this entails restructuring the code in general (potentially even 
> require tweaking the NeXT/Apple runtime)?
> Are there any other platform dependencies that you are already aware 
> of (i.e. other that the potential dependency on the Apple Runtime)?

No.

> IIRC, it was mentioned, that this is a new frontend which will make 
> use of some of the source files (e.g. objc-act.c) in the current objc 
> frontend.  I expect that there are some tweaks needed, so we should 
> continue testing the objc frontend of the branch, right?

Absolutely. Layering ObjC atop C++ can potentially introduce 
regressions...

Hope this helps,

snaroff

On Jan 21, 2004, at 3:08 AM, David Ayers wrote:

> Ziemowit Laski wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > This is just a friendly heads-up that the objc-improvements-branch,
> > previously used to integrate Apple's ObjC fixes into the mainline,
> > shall henceforth be used to develop the Objective-C++ front-end,
> > to be integrated into mailine 3.5 upon completion.
>
> Hello Zem,
>
> Thanks, I have a few questions which you could maybe address.
>
> Will the objc++ frontend work with the GNU runtime?
> If not, will you accept patches to the branch to make it work, even if 
> this entails restructuring the code in general (potentially even 
> require tweaking the NeXT/Apple runtime)?
> Are there any other platform dependencies that you are already aware 
> of (i.e. other that the potential dependency on the Apple Runtime)?
> IIRC, it was mentioned, that this is a new frontend which will make 
> use of some of the source files (e.g. objc-act.c) in the current objc 
> frontend.  I expect that there are some tweaks needed, so we should 
> continue testing the objc frontend of the branch, right?
>
> Are you planing to do the merge into mainline in coherent pieces or an 
> all-in-one merge as previously?  (In which case, I would like to 
> kindly ask you to post not only meaningful ChangeLogs, but the patches 
> to the branch itself, please.)
>
> Also, FYI, now that mainline is open again, I'm planning to bring some 
> of the cleanup patches and Class <Protocol> support from last year 
> back up to date, as soon as I can spare some cycles. (It might take 
> two or three weeks from now though.)
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
>
>
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