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Re: Borland software patent restricting GNU compiler development
Florian Weimer wrote:
> * Ingrid Marson:
>
>
>>The Borland patent is a patent for standard exception handling
>>http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL
>>&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5,628,016.WKU.&OS=PN/5,628,
>>016&RS=PN/5,628,016
>
>
> At least on Linux, GCC implements a different scheme which is
> optimized for the more common case of execution without throwing any
> exception. Borland's approach doesn't even work without frame
> pointers, so it's quite limited.
>
> Maybe the Windows ABI prescribes the use of Borland's approach? This
> could explain the gripes of the WINE developers.
Without looking at the patent, I would hazard the guess
that it is about Win32 Structured Exception Handling (SEH):
http://www.microsoft.com/msj/0197/exception/exception.aspx
(The linked-to mail from the GCC mailing list seems to
confirm this.)
SEH is quite important in Windoze-land.
Ranjit.
--
Ranjit Mathew Email: rmathew AT gmail DOT com
Bangalore, INDIA. Web: http://ranjitmathew.hostingzero.com/