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Re: Deprecating ARM FPA support
- From: Mark Mitchell <mark at codesourcery dot com>
- To: Martin Guy <martinwguy at gmail dot com>
- Cc: Gerald Pfeifer <gerald at pfeifer dot com>, Richard Kenner <kenner at vlsi1 dot ultra dot nyu dot edu>, rearnsha at arm dot com, gcc at gcc dot gnu dot org, joel dot sherrill at oarcorp dot com, "Joseph S. Myers" <joseph at codesourcery dot com>, stevenb dot gcc at gmail dot com
- Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:18:49 -0700
- Subject: Re: Deprecating ARM FPA support
- References: <AANLkTimkz9SCy1XXHOsduUsboMv-yi4DYFxkCljPdCqO@mail.gmail.com> <4BF98F97.7050305@codesourcery.com> <AANLkTimNV-U-345qL0HImGJsNQasIX8tQIjLFIddrzuM@mail.gmail.com> <1274689560.17090.26.camel@e102346-lin.cambridge.arm.com> <11005241309.AA13087@vlsi1.ultra.nyu.edu> <alpine.LSU.1.99.1006271449260.9343@acrux.dbai.tuwien.ac.at> <AANLkTikw80G18xLSAQy_7BsSrPaYWyYbDS5aSLV1OuH_@mail.gmail.com>
Martin Guy wrote:
> For
> ARM boards without mainline Linux support whose manufacturers' kernel
> ports predates 2.6.16, it is mandatory, as is also is for users who
> just want to compile code for a given existing system that happens not
> to be running a recent kernel and userspace.
But what are the chances that GCC 4.7 (the first release in which FPA
would actually be removed, and probably not released until about two
years from now) is actually useful on this system? It's very unlikely
that GCC 4.7 will successfully compile the 2.6.16 kernel, or, I would
expect, a lot of userspace applications.
My feeling is that it makes sense to deprecate this now, which allows us
in the 4.7 cycle to decide whether or not to remove the functionality.
If we decide then that it's still needed, we can always keep it. But,
if we don't deprecate it now, then our policy is that we can't remove it.
--
Mark Mitchell
CodeSourcery
mark@codesourcery.com
(650) 331-3385 x713