Re: [gpc] Re: GCC integration?

[Matt Austern <austern at apple dot com>]

On Dec 17, 2004, at 11:31 AM, Nathanael Nerode wrote:

> I would like the following:
> * a branch off of mainline for "Pascal integration".  This would start 
> off
> containing the current GPC sources attached to GCC 4.0.  Presumably 
> there
> are various problems with that, so I'd like to see
> * a TODO list of the integration requirements to port GPC to the GCC 
> 4.0
> architecture, starting with those which make it build, and continuing 
> with
> those which fix testsuite problems.
> * Commit and approval permission to the branch for GPC maintainers and
> GCC global maintainers, to allow as many people as possible to work on 
> fixing
> such problems.
> * GPC maintainers merging any changes made in the current development
> versions of GPC onto the branch
> * Pascal integration as a release goal for GCC 4.1
>
> Frankly, if there were such a branch in GCC CVS, it would be easier to 
> poke
> around and see what needs to be done for integration.  It's probably 
> not
> that bad, but it's just not really convenient to work outside a version
> control system for most of us who are used to them.

I suppose it's time to ask: *should* Pascal integration be a goal for 
4.1?

Adding a new front end is not free.  It constrains the middle end data 
structures, it may result in more fields or tests (thus hurting compile 
time for other languages), it certainly increases testing work and 
bootstrap time, and it certainly increases the overall complexity of 
the system.  GCC was a much simpler compiler when it was just a C 
compiler.

Adding support for a new language has costs and benefits.  I certainly 
supported gfortran and ObjC++, but I'll need to know more about the 
costs and benefits of Pascal integration before I decide whether I 
support it for 4.x.

			--Matt