Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM/CAM_CD_1.iso/files/610a.lha/gcc_v2.0-920229_3/README

Text File | 1992-03-02 | 11.0 KB | 237 lines

First the legal stuff:

This archive contains two independant parts, one consists of the binaries
for the GNU C compiler V2.0, those files are all in the `gcc20' tree, and
are subject to the license specified in the COPYING file.

The other part consists of new versions for my shared C library and the
link level counterparts.  Those files are subject to the COPYING.LIB file.

You can get the full distribution for gcc2.0 for example from
prep.ai.mit.edu, the source for the library is available for example from
amiga.physik.unizh.ch.

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A special note to the library: I'm currently changing the library sources
to finally adapt more closely to the BSD-net2 distribution. As a goal, this
library should then also support networking, starting with AF_UNIX sockets
and pipes implemented ala socketpair(). The library that is included in libs/
is a mixture between old and new code, I can therefore not distribute any
sources until the library has been changed completely. The reason I'm
including this version is that I'd like to get feedback whether the new
way to deal with packets that this library uses causes problems on some
Amigas. So if you find this library to cause problems (crashes, other weird
things), *AND THE PREVIOUS VERSION WORKED*, please tell me, I'd very much
like to get rid of such problems before the next version is released.

You might notice that the startup code changed, this is to allow full
implementation of execve() and friends, thus to actually pass an argument
vector instead of a commandline to started programs. vfork() is there
as well as wait4() and friends.  You may try your luck on those new
functions, but keep in mind that *they are not supported* at the moment.
There are problems with vfork() that I'll fix in the next release, but I'll
have to include support for process groups to do it `right', currently you
cannot ^C break any children spawned with vfork() with the keyboard, BREAK
works though.  An other problem exists with pipe():  if you break a reader,
the pipe might hang and you're not able to kill the writer.  This will be
fixed by using sockets and sending the apropriate SIGPIPE to the writer
(the problem is permanent under 1.3, the 2.0 pipe is lots smarter, but not
yet perfect ;-)).

To repeat the important information:  the functions are there, but unless
you know what you do, don't use them, not all problems are solved in this
library release!

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INSTALLATION

This distribution only contains the compilers and changed parts of my C
library.  If you don't have a C library yet, you'll have to get one to be
able to compile C programs.  You can either get my library (get
ixemlib9201.lha and 3 ixemupd* files) or use another C library you might
already have.  If you're not using my library, here's what you have to
do in short form:
  o  create a directory, assign GCC: to it
  o  create a directory called gcc:lib, here go your crt0.o and libc.a files
  o  create a directory called gcc:include, that's where your headers go
The ixemlib9201.lha archive contains a Readme that explains this setup
in greater detail).

The distribution contains 3 directories:
  gcc20        - this contains stuff for gcc2.0
  gcc        - this contains updates for the gcc: tree if you use my library
  libs        - this contains ixemul.library, which is used by gcc2.0, and
            which you have to copy to your LIBS: directory. This library
            overrides all previous versions, please replace any older
            copy!

To install gcc2.0, you just have to assign GCC20: to gcc20/, ie. the directory
tree called gcc20/ that you created by unpacking this archive.

Then add gcc20:bin to your PATH, and you're finished installing gcc2.0, it can
then be used like `gcc hello-world.c'.

*Be sure to use a large enough STACK setting! I'm using a STACK 250000 myself,
*and this worked even for the weirdest programs. You *will* crash the machine
*or get the weirdest errors if you use the Commodore default of 4k !!!!

The stuff in gcc/ should be placed at the apropriate place in your gcc:
tree, it gives you a newer startup code (that now passes DOSBase and
SysBase to your programs), and a newer libc.a (see the comments at the
begin as well for comments to this version of the library).

Repeating myself, copy libs/ixemul.library to LIBS: !

Read the original manuals as well: read the info* file in the info
directory.  NOTE:  the info files are not complete!  I didn't include any
files that describe compiler interna, as they are not of interest to the
majority of users that don't plan to change gcc itself.  If you want the
complete manual, get the whole distribution from (for example)
prep.ai.mit.edu!



HOW TO CALL THE C++ COMPILER

The Unix copy of gcc-2.0 comes with a shell script, that emulates `gpp' in
its behavior to even call the C++ compiler on `*.c' files.  Either call
your C++ files `*.cc' (the preferred solution), or call the C++ compiler
explicitly by using the `-x c++' switch to the compiler.  If someone
rewrites the Unix shell script `c++' to AmigaDOS script language or AREXX
I'd be happy to include that with this AmigaDOS distribution! For AREXX
keep in mind though, that pushing commands into the input stream won't work,
since this trick is not usable from Makefiles!  The Unix `c++' script
includes `-lg++' by default, you have to do this explicitly when calling
gcc directly.



WHAT ABOUT `protoize' AND `unprotoize'

Those programs are part of the Unix distribution of gcc-2.0. I'm not
including them because I haven't removed all Unix dependencies yet (there
are some problems regarding the colon as both a device terminator under
AmigaDOS and as a field separator in gcc-2.0 -fgen-aux-info output).
I nevertheless included the SYSCALLS.c.X file I generated, and this file
should include all 2.04 functions defined in the various clib/ prototype
files. If you want to try to port `protoize' yourself, this file should
help you convert most programs using Amiga library functions to ANSI-C.



COEXISTANCE OF GCC 2.0 with GCC 1.40 & G++ 1.40

If you want to use the older compiler as well as gcc2.0, all you have to do
is to rename gcc20:bin/gcc to gcc20:bin/gcc2, then you can use `gcc' and
`gpp' as usual to refer to the 1.40 compilers, and `gcc2' to refer to
gcc2.0.  You might as well update some programs of 1.40:
  copy gcc20:lib/gcc/as local:gcc-as
  copy gcc20:lib/gcc/ld local:gcc-ld
Don't copy cpp over though, cpp depends on the compiler version !

If you're using g++-1.40 and the C++ compiler of gcc-2.0 concurrently, you'll
probably only want to keep one copy of C++ header files. G++ 1.40 expects to
find them under
  LOCAL:g++-include
but gcc-2.0 looks for them in
  GCC20:lib/g++-include
To fix this, you can either make a symbolic link to where you keep your
C++ headers, or you can use the following directory tree:
  GCC20: -> <the base directory of your gcc20 tree>
  LOCAL: -> GCC20:lib
               /gcc-cpp    }
               /gcc-cc1    }
               /gcc-cc1plus } these are the 1.40 compilers
               /gcc-as    }
               /gcc-ld    }
               /g++-include  C++ headers for both, 1.40 and 2.0

                     /gcc
                         /cpp        }
                         /cc1        }
                         /cc1plus    }  these are the 2.0 compilers
                         /cc1obj    }
                         /as        }
             /ld        }

                 /amiga/2.0    contains Amiga specific stuff



SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: `I keep getting requesters saying, that mathieeesingbas.library couldn't
    be opened. Does gcc not work under 1.3??'
A: Gcc *does* work under 1.3, but it needs the single precision math libraries
   to implement the C `float' data type. The mathieeesingbas.library is built
   into ROM under Kick 2.04, but is needed as a file in LIBS: under Kick 1.3.
   You have to ask your local Commodore support for this library, or if you're
   lucky, you can get it from an (illegally.., not by myself!) posted article on
   comp.sys.amiga.programmers. If you didn't capture that article, perhaps
   somebody else had, but DON'T ASK ME! I won't send you neither the libraries
   nor the article in question!

Q: `I don't get any .o files, even though the assembler seems to be called
    correctly.'
A: This problem should have vanished in the mean time. It resulted from using
   a bogous copy of the assembler. Use the one provided in this release, and
   the problem should go away.

Q: `Program <xy> that uses ixemul.library requests the LOCAL: drive, which
    I don't have?!'
A: ixemul.library searches LOCAL: for a timezone database. All you have to do
   is assign LOCAL: to some existing directory, and the functions will be able
   to determine that no such database exists. If you have gcc-1.40 installed,
   you won't have this problem, as LOCAL: is used to find the compiler passes.

Q: `I keep getting a bus error using program <xy>, what's wrong?'
A: Tell me which program generated that error. This is most certainly a program
   that contains 68020 code and which you tried to run on a 68000 machine.
   As long as the program is not specifically marked as `68020 only', this is
   to be considered a bug!
   This error might as well fit into the next question, read on!

Q: `My machine always crashes when I try to use gcc, or I get weird error
    messages like "bus error" or "illegal instruction". Sometimes I can
    successfully compile, but the machine crashes soon afterwards, when I
    execute programs that normally don't crash.'
A: Did you set your STACK high enough? The Commodore default of 4k is WAYS too
   low for GNU programs, I have my STACK at 250000, you might try lower
   values, but I'd recommend not going below 100k !

Q: `I did "gpp -lg++ test.cc" and kept getting errors at link time'
A: Supply the libraries AFTER the source/object files.
   Thus do `gpp test.cc -lg++' in this example.

Q: `Now that we have gcc2.0, can I remove my 1.40 compilers?'
A: Depends on what you're programming in mostly. If you're only interested in
   the C compiler, you can remove the 1.40 gcc, no problem. If you're a C++
   programmer though, I'd suggest (if you have the disk space) you keep your
   1.40 g++, since the language definition changed slightly from 1.40 to
   2.0, and the 2.0 C++ compiler seems buggier than the 1.40 one. The 2.0
   C-compiler could demonstrate reliability by recompiling itself, the C++
   didn't have a comparable chance. Use the 2.0 C++ compiler though! The C++
   language implemented by gcc2.0 is richer than the 1.40 one, templates are
   supported, ANSI exceptions, etc. By keeping the 1.40 compiler you just keep
   the option of reverting to 1.40 in cases where you're not sure whether your
   program or the compiler is buggy.

Q: `Although I don't define "alloca" to be "__builtin_alloca", gcc2.0 uses its
    builtin function for it, what can I do?'
A: Use the `-fno-builtin' switch.


Good luck with this really great compiler. I'd like to thank all the wonderful
guys that made this compiler what it is today, thank you! For the contributors
to gcc-2.0, read the GNU CC manual!


-Markus Wild

You can reach me as:

<[e-mail]> or as <[e-mail]>