This is the mail archive of the
gcc@gcc.gnu.org
mailing list for the GCC project.
Re: GCC for SPARC Systems
- From: Daniel Berlin <dberlin at dberlin dot org>
- To: Alexey Starovoytov <alexey dot starovoytov at sun dot com>
- Cc: David Edelsohn <dje at watson dot ibm dot com>, gcc at gcc dot gnu dot org
- Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 18:25:49 -0500
- Subject: Re: GCC for SPARC Systems
- References: <Pine.GSO.4.31.0603101218000.12150-100000@boojum>
On Fri, 2006-03-10 at 12:34 -0800, Alexey Starovoytov wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Mar 2006, David Edelsohn wrote:
>
> > >>>>> Alexey Starovoytov writes:
> >
> > > If Sun starts improving GCC backend now it will never be able to catch up
> > > with Sun's own backend.
> >
> > This is a completely ridiculous assertion. Do you have any
> > evidence to back this up? There is no reason that GCC could not intercept
> > Sun CC if some effort were made. SPARC is not that different from other
> > RISC architectures that GCC supports well. If Sun wants to protect its
> > compiler business, that is fine, but it is a business decision, not a
> > technical decision.
>
> So you're saying your team will be able to beat xlc.
> Ahh. Ok. Good for you.
> Personally I don't think that sparc gcc backend will be able to catch up
> with Sun's across the range of tests and benchmarks any time soon.
> Few major infrastructure features needs to be done first.
> I'm not here to defend Sun's compilers. The scope of gcc4ss is to deliver
> performance on SPARC chips. Period. If GCC can beat Sun there. Great!
> We wouldn't need to do any of this work.
You don't seem to get it.
GCC isn't going to get better for *your platform* if you just sit on the
sidelines. It will get better for those who work on it.
This is why it is the way it performs the way it does for SPARC, not
because of anything else.
I would bet you Sun could intercept Sun CC using GCC within 5 years if
they wanted to.
HTH,
Dan