Re: [PATCH 17/41] doc/build-platforms: document supported compilers

[Marc-André Lureau]

Hi

On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 7:24 PM Daniel P. Berrangé <berrange@redhat.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 06:50:12PM +0400, Marc-André Lureau wrote:
> > Hi
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 6:46 PM Marc-André Lureau
> > <marcandre.lureau@redhat.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi
> > >
> > > On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 6:37 PM Thomas Huth <thuth@redhat.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > On 20/04/2022 16.10, Daniel P. Berrangé wrote:
> > > > > On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 05:26:00PM +0400, marcandre.lureau@redhat.com 
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >> From: Marc-André Lureau <marcandre.lureau@redhat.com>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> According to our configure checks, this is the list of supported
> > > > >> compilers.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Signed-off-by: Marc-André Lureau <marcandre.lureau@redhat.com>
> > > > >> Reviewed-by: Damien Hedde <damien.hedde@greensocs.com>
> > > > >> ---
> > > > >>   docs/about/build-platforms.rst | 10 ++++++++++
> > > > >>   1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)
> > > > >>
> > > > >> diff --git a/docs/about/build-platforms.rst 
> > > > >> b/docs/about/build-platforms.rst
> > > > >> index c29a4b8fe649..1980c5d2476f 100644
> > > > >> --- a/docs/about/build-platforms.rst
> > > > >> +++ b/docs/about/build-platforms.rst
> > > > >> @@ -92,6 +92,16 @@ hosted on Linux (Debian/Fedora).
> > > > >>   The version of the Windows API that's currently targeted is Vista 
> > > > >> / Server
> > > > >>   2008.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> +Supported compilers
> > > > >> +-------------------
> > > > >> +
> > > > >> +To compile, QEMU requires either:
> > > > >> +
> > > > >> +- GCC >= 7.4.0
> > > > >> +- Clang >= 6.0
> > > > >> +- XCode Clang >= 10.0
> > > > >
> > > > > Do we need to spell out the versions explicitly ? These versions are
> > > > > all derived from what's available in the repos of the supported build
> > > > > platforms, similar to any other build deps we have. I don't think we
> > > > > want to start a precedent of duplicating versions in this doc for
> > > > > build deps we have, and there's nothing particularly special about
> > > > > compilers in this respect.
> > > >
> > > > I agree with Daniel - when I saw this patch, the first thought that I 
> > > > had
> > > > was: "This will be getting out of sync quickly" ...
> > >
> > > I don't have the impression we bump our compiler requirement regularly
> > > or lightly.
> > >
> > > > so I'd also recommend to rather not add this here.
> > >
> > > Outdated documentation is still better than no documentation. YMMV.
> >
> > Another question that is difficult to answer without being familiar
> > with QEMU details is whether it can compile with MSVC. This
> > documentation would, since it is explicit about the requirement.
>
> Documenting that we mandate GCC or Clang is reasonable. Ideally we could
> have a list of all 3rd party deps we have in fact, I'm just not a fan of
> copying the version numbers across from configure/meson.
>

I agree, duplicating the version information is not optimal... Yet it
is better than not having it, or having to read or run configure imho.

Sorry (or not) to insist, but it would help having an explicit list of
supported compilers in the human doc (because configure/meson doesn't
rule others out, afaik, nor it really can or should)

> With regards,
> Daniel
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