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Re: Revised release criteria for GCC 4.0


> From: Peter Barada <peter@the-baradas.com>
>> From my past experience with the m68k-elf target, I've learned that many
>> tests assume a full-blown libc and an underlying OS.
> 
> Now that the 5475/5485 ColdFire parts/eval boards exist, there's a
> full Linux that supports it, and can be used to test it :)
> 
> In the case of the other less-powerful parts, can uClinux be used to
> do testing?  If so, then there are *many* more platforms that can be
> rigorously tested(assuming people volunteer their time to run the
> tests on the platforms that they have access to).
> 
> As the toolchain evolves, its becoming much harder to build a
> cross-toolchain, and would be next to impossible without the work of
> Dan Kegel and others to make crosstool capable of building
> cross-toolchains.  I hope that future development does not preclude
> the creation of working cross-compilers, and I'd like to see the
> addition to the release criteria that GCC has to configure/build
> cross-compilers for a set of targets, and perhaps build up a full
> cross-toolchain as a way to stress it.

Yes true, but unfortunately 68k/ColdFire derivatives won't tend to expose
large target biases that a smaller 8-bit RISC target would:

- one-unit-per-word (8-bit/QI) char
- two-word (16-bit/HI) int/char*
- limited to a four-word (32-bit/SI/SF) long/long-long/float/double
  (i.e can't practically support DI/DF 64-bit+ modes, as di3 built-in's
   tend to imply the requirement for 24 registers just for the operands
   alone; which overall tends to more aggressively help identify large
   target biases, which may otherwise needlessly not be easily identified.)

(but yes, the AVR is not a "platform" per-se and has very limited memory, it
 will only be capable of supporting a limited number of tests, but likely
 an adequate number to verify the a cross build actually builds and can
 correctly generate basic code, which is likely sufficient given the modest
 goal to help keep GCC's code base as target size neutral as reasonably
 possible; and does not preclude testing of platforms capable of hosting
 uClinux such as 68k/ColdFire for other purposes, which existing targets
 may not well satisfy. Maybe it would be nice to define a few cross-targets
 distinct from the existing primary and secondary platforms which include
 a basic 8-bit and 16/32-bit target, with possibly simplified testing?)


 



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