GCC 3.3, GCC 3.4

[Scott Robert Ladd]

Mark Mitchell wrote:
> The biggest real problem is that our developers are overbooked.

> As soon as they implement one feature so that it mostly works, they are
> off to implement another, often due to constraints from management.  As
> a result, they don't have time to fix bugs, even bugs in the work they
> just did.  We often get many of the regressions out, but a few hard ones
> linger.
>
(snip)
>
> We have nobody that can fill that supervisory role.  It is simply not
> possible; the players have very divergent interests.

The above is a serious threat to the success of free software. The lack of
coherent cooperation is more troublesome than any worries about whether a
certain OS should be called "Linux" or "GNU/Linux".

A reliable, functional gcc is critical to the success of free software; it
is the foundation upon which the other packages rest. Somehow, we need to
impress this upon the commercial vendors who fund development. Freedom
exists because of cooperation; if the developers of gcc do not cooperate,
free software will not succeed in the long run.

> In some other free software projects, people do fill that supervisory
> role.  Linus is the ultimate authority for Linux, for example.  We
> have a different structure.

Linux can be rather chaotic, even with Linus' influence. True, he controls
the definitive distribution -- but there are many side branches and unique
versions for each distro. Remember the fracas over the Linux VM? Is it
possible that FSF gcc should define a core gcc, with possible branches for
vendor specific variants?

> I suggest the following:
>
> - Rather than free-form discussion on this mailing list, let's
>   write up complete proposal(s) and post them on our web site.

Good idea. The process is already rolling for the next few releases; once
those are complete, we can try to improve the process.

..Scott

--
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Professional programming for science and engineering;
Interesting and unusual bits of very free code.