gfortran test runs

[Toon Moene]

Richard Earnshaw wrote:

> It really shouldn't be necessary for gcc developers to have to install
> components into /usr/lib (or any other system directory) in order to be
> able to develop and test the compiler.

While I agree with this sentiment (I got bitten by this situation on my 
Alpha machine that's not on a network and can't be easily apt-get update 
&& apt-get dist-upgrade'd), but I sincerely ask the C crowd whether they 
think they can implement the whole of C99 without extensive support for 
compile time floating point manipulation.

I'm referring to clause 6.6 Constant expressions (among others):

...
Semantics
...
5. [...] If a floating expression is evaluated in the translation
    environment, the arithmetic precision and range shall be at
    least as great as if the expression were being evaluated in the
    execution environment.
...

So the compiler has to have a way to evaluate the expression in an 
environment different from the translation environment.  GMP offers this 
possibility.  There are others, but it might be the simplest way to get 
this functionality.

Hope this helps,

-- 
Toon Moene - e-mail: toon@moene.indiv.nluug.nl - phone: +31 346 214290
Saturnushof 14, 3738 XG  Maartensdijk, The Netherlands
Maintainer, GNU Fortran 77: http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/g77_news.html
A maintainer of GNU Fortran 95: http://gcc.gnu.org/fortran/