Re: [Tinycc-devel] TCC as portable module compiler

[Rob Landley]

On Tuesday 18 March 2008 09:44:14 Basile STARYNKEVITCH wrote:
> Kenneth Forsbäck wrote:
> > Damn, there goes my bright idea...
>
> People wanting a portable module compiler (if I understand what that
> should be) should very much consider using LLVM http://llvm.org/ since
> it is portable (targetting several machines) and able to generate code
> and of course free software (MIT-like license).
>
> Also llvm is rather well documented, and alive (much more than tinycc,
> which seems almost dead).

Actually, I use "tcc" to refer to the project in the old CVS and "tinycc" to 
refer to the new one I'm doing at "http://landley.net/code/tinycc";.  And by 
that metric, tinycc is doing just fine, thanks.  I released 1.0.0-pre2 last 
week and I'm aiming for a -pre3 in April (before the cross compiling tutorial 
I'm giving at CELF) and then a -pre4 in July (before the compiler BOF I'm 
hosting at OLS).  Most of the agenda going forward is mentioned in 
http://landley.net/code/tinycc/todo.txt

If you're just looking for gcc alternatives, the pcc project just had a 0.9.9 
release and both OpenBSD and NetBSD aim to switch over when it's ready:
  http://lwn.net/Articles/255558/
  http://pcc.ludd.ltu.se/

LLVM with clang is another one, that's loosely backed by Apple.
  http://clang.llvm.org/

Those might someday be able to build the Linux kernel.  Intel's ICC is the 
only compiler other than gcc that's already built a current unmodified Linux 
kernel, but that's A) closed source, B) only supports Intel targets.
http://www.intel.com/cd/software/products/asmo-na/eng/compilers/clin/277618.htm

I say "current" and "unmodified" there because tccboot built a 2.4 kernel (not 
2.6), building only a subset of the full kernel sources, and it was a 
modified subset to work around constructs that tcc didn't understand.  (I 
plan to revive tccboot with tinycc, but first I'd like to get tinycc to build 
a User Mode Linux kernel that works.)

But, all these other compilers are only tangentially on topic here (as a brief 
mention for comparison purposes)...

Rob
-- 
"One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code."
  - Ken Thompson.