Re: Putting C++ code into gcc front end

[Phil Edwards <phil at jaj dot com>]

On Tue, Mar 04, 2003 at 06:06:29PM +0100, Steven Bosscher wrote:
> Op di 04-03-2003, om 15:45 schreef Richard Earnshaw:
> > > Is it reasonable in 2003 to have a quite complex compiler written in
> > > K&R C?  Not even ISO C?
> > 
> > The last time this came up (probably less than 6 months ago), the answer 
> > was "yes".  We've been round this discussion before.  Let's not rehash all 
> > the same old arguments again.
> 
> I believe that the answer was: "Yes, because we have exactly one
> platform that does not come with an ISO C compiler (HPUX).  We will look
> at this issue again in the 3.4 time frame".

Daniel Berlin wrote what is IMHO the best and most precise summary of all
arguments for removing the K&R requirement:

    http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2003-01/msg00675.html

Note the "HP agrees with us" bit.

For my own part, the changes in my local trees are all in ISO C, and
-Wno-traditional added where needed as a result.  I have no intention
of ever writing K&R C again.  The language has been standardized for a
freaking decade; I refuse to hobble myself because some HPUX user wants
to bootstrap with a "for kernel rebuilding only" compiler.


Phil

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