Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Fri, 16 Apr 2004 22:31:25 +0200
From:      Kai Grossjohann <kai@emptydomain.de>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Beginning C++ in FreeBSD
Message-ID:  <87pta73bs2.fsf@emptyhost.emptydomain.de>
References:  <200404151110.i3FBAaoo048373@adsl-68-76-19-75.dsl.klmzmi.ameritech.net> <200404161720.37041.dgw@liwest.at>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Daniela <dgw@liwest.at> writes:

> What? C++ code is converted to C? Which compiler are you using, and
> why the hell would a compiler do this?

In the old days, C++ was implemented by a program called cfront, I
believe, and it did convert C++ to C.

If you can write a program that converts language X to C, then you get
to take advantage of all the nifty optimizing C compilers out there.
If you try to go the direct route to compiling into machine language,
then you need to do the optimization part yourself.  So converting
into C as an intermediary language is an option that requires less
work.

GCC has a backend which can server as an intermediary language, I
guess, but if you convert into C, then you aren't even wedded to GCC.

Kai




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?87pta73bs2.fsf>