Of Bounties and Mercenaries

[Ben Elliston]

Scott Robert Ladd <coyote@coyotegulch.com> writes:

> > Part of the problem is that gcc has become sufficiently complex that
> > it is difficult for the uninitiated to fix a bug.  Thus gcc partially
> > loses one of the usual advantages of free software--the fact that bugs
> > can be fixed by people with an itch to scratch.
> 
> I completely agree; tree-ssa is, in my mind, easier to work with and
> understand. I've looked at working on GCC PRs,a nd simply haven't
> the time to invest in understanding the non-tree-ssa
> architecture. The complexity of GCC makes it very difficult for
> people to simply jump in and help out.

This should be a side goal of future GCC work: to develop it in a way
that makes it easier for the uninitiated to hack on it.  This includes
removing complicated cruft and generally trying to keep the code base
small and as simple as possible.

tree-ssa is a reasonably good example of this: with little prior
compiler experience, someone can pick up a book like Morgan and start
to make sense of the tree-ssa-* files.

Ben