Re: XML dumping and GraphViz/VCG in the GCC ast-optimizer-branch

[James Michael DuPont <mdupont777 at yahoo dot com>]

> Again, no.  RMS has explicitly objected to the graphviz support, so
> it
> probably won't be released.  However, the situation is more
> complicated
> than you suggest: the (free software) Boost graph library supports
> graphviz reading and writing, as do other free programs.  But let's
> not
> fool ourselves: the main reason people want graphviz output is to see
> the
> graph visually, and the way they do that is with the non-free
> program.  So
> we might not be able to convince RMS to let us release that.

I know all about the GraphViz.

Well in my many mailings to RMS about my project, and when I met with
him on July 3rd in Berlin, he has explicitly stated his support for
tools that directly interact with the user and are not meant to extract
to the files for that purpose. I said that I will in turn reduce any
external representation and try and statically linke everything in.

That is why I have decided to use libxml as a tranport layer and link
in the modules all statically to the gcc. Even if someone were to dump
that xml to a file to view it, the xml is only used as an intermediate
layer. The LGPL supports the reversal of the code back to GPL, to I can
then provide the XML into other tools statically via libxml, and it
would be a GPLed interface... Go figure.!

Also RMS has supported my fight with the University of Saarland that
tried to block the release of the uglified parts of the vcg tool. 

I now have that non-uglified code from the author and will be
re-releasing VCG as a GNU project later on when I find some time.

That will allow for a complete GPL code information extraction and
graph layout tool. I have been hacking the Gnome DIA tool to later
provide a final rendering in UML.

> 
> > Or is the contents of the CVS not an indication of policy at all, 
> > with the policy makers not enforcing them, and the cvs commiters
> not
> > asking for permission?
> 
> Especially on side branches, you should assume that anything there is
> experimental and not necessarily accepted for release. 
> Non-acceptance
> might be based on technical reasons or policy reasons.

Fine, then you wont have any problem with me branching the
ast-optimizer branch and maintaining that Branch for visualization.

I wont ask for offical support, but will be trying to maintain my
patches to your standards. Hopefully they will be usable by you some
day if you need them.

All I want to do is be able to use the GCC to help understand code, 
I dont need XML, I need something that I can look at.

mike

=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

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