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Re: Progress on GCC plugins ?
Bernd Schmidt wrote:
Ian Lance Taylor wrote:
I think it's quite important for gcc's long-term health to permit and
even encourage academic researchers and students to use it. And I see
plugins as directly supporting that goal. Note that I don't see any
problem with requiring (or attempting to require) that any plugin be
covered by the GPL.
So from my perspective the downside of plugins is very small, and the
upside is very large.
I must admit I don't understand the upside. I've always thought of
plugins as something proprietary programs need because their source
isn't open.
No. Many firefox plugins and linux kernel plugins (called modules) are
opensource!
Every GCC plugin has to be open source (because GCC is GPL) because it
has to be GPL!
In my view, plugins will bitrot quickly as GCC's interface changes; and
they won't even help with the learning curve - does anyone believe for a
second you won't have to understand compiler internals to write a plugin?
Plugin will help to experiment, and a major point of a plugin is that it
can be removed or disabled without impacting GCC major ability to
compile stuff (it might only decrease performance, additional
functionalities, .. if removed).
Plugins should make daily work on GCC easier: you don't have to
bootstrap everything! And you could release it (with its source code)
even if it is incomplete, .... because it can be very easily disabled.
And plugins could even be dynamically produced (shameless ad for my
paper & work).
The main point of a plugin is that it could be removed easily! Much
harder for anything else.
Just hacking GCC for making a feature which can be robustly disabled is
a significant work! Plugins get you that for free... And it is essential
for every kind of "experimental" or "additional" features! You really
want it to be easy to remove!
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