From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Jan 22 19:52:17 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 81720106566B for ; Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:52:17 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perrin@apotheon.com) Received: from oproxy6-pub.bluehost.com (oproxy6.bluehost.com [IPv6:2605:dc00:100:2::a6]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 47EE88FC0A for ; Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:52:17 +0000 (UTC) Received: (qmail 9177 invoked by uid 0); 22 Jan 2012 19:52:17 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO box543.bluehost.com) (74.220.219.143) by cpoproxy3.bluehost.com with SMTP; 22 Jan 2012 19:52:17 -0000 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=apotheon.com; s=default; h=In-Reply-To:Content-Type:MIME-Version:References:Message-ID:Subject:To:From:Date; bh=K+mg96udPb1Arqars5UeNE560vxN2NsL2CqTRmZqDVo=; b=jW/p/B8uwcMEVjo9RJwQtaM/HRggZ7EcjvGavXVbLx5Z0dofjkgPtgjAlBfGEWawlZNYfH+U7321JWYUrg+eKszeZU+lERDuutlQHp1qOrpyxUOhekZOd0b3NNoGTL/A; Received: from c-24-8-180-234.hsd1.co.comcast.net ([24.8.180.234] helo=localhost) by box543.bluehost.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128) (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1Rp3SZ-0001ux-Jk for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:52:15 -0700 Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:52:17 -0700 From: Chad Perrin To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Message-ID: <20120122195217.GB857@hemlock.hydra> Mail-Followup-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <201201221438.q0MEcYov066825@mail.r-bonomi.com> <4F1C27AD.9070608@herveybayaustralia.com.au> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <4F1C27AD.9070608@herveybayaustralia.com.au> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15) X-Identified-User: {2737:box543.bluehost.com:apotheon:apotheon.com} {sentby:smtp auth 24.8.180.234 authed with perrin@apotheon.com} Subject: Re: Clang - what is the story? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:52:17 -0000 On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 01:13:49AM +1000, Da Rock wrote: > On 01/23/12 00:38, Robert Bonomi wrote: > >Da Rock wrote: > > > >>I personally had no idea this was going on; my impression was gcc grew > >>out of the original compiler that built unix, and the only choices were > >>borland and gcc. The former for win32 crap and the latter for, well, > >>everything else. > >"Once upon a time", there were _many_ alternatives for C compilers. > >Commercial -- i.e. 'you pay for it', or bundled with a pay O/S -- offerings > >included (this is a _partial_ list, ones _I_ have personal knowledge of): > > > > PCC -- (the original one0 medium-lousy code but the code-generator was > > easily adapted to new/diferent hardwre > > Green Hills Softwaware (used by a number of unix hardare manufacturers) > > Sun Microsystems developed their own ("acc") > > Silicon Graphics, Inc > > Hewlett-Packard > > Symantic (Think C -- notable for high-performance on early Apple Mac's, > > significantly better than Apple's own MPW) > > Manx Software ("Aztec C" -- a 'best of breed' for MS-DOS) > > Microsoft > > Intel > > CCS > > Watcom > > Borland > > Zortech > > Greenleaf Software > > Ellis Computing (specializing in 'budget' compilers, circa $30 pricetags) > > "Small C" > > tcc -- the 'tiny C compiler > Wow... I have some research to do... Maybe not. It depends on what you want to learn. PCC was already mentioned. Watcom C's license is overly complex and probably legally problematic. Small-C Compiler is a compiler for the Small-C language, which is only a subset of C. The Tiny C Compiler is copyleft licensed, so not as ideal a choice as Clang, PCC, and TenDRA have been at various points in time when choosing a new C compiler for a BSD Unix base system. If I'm not mistaken, everything else on that list is not even open source software. If you just want to know about C compilers, it's fun to read about all this stuff. If you specifically want to know about options that might be suitable for use as GCC-replacement in BSD Unix systems, there's far less to read. -- Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]