Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!botter!ast From: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Re: C v1.2 compiler sources (ARRGG!!) Message-ID: <1766@botter.cs.vu.nl> Date: 30 Nov 87 14:19:30 GMT References: <515@altura.srcsip.UUCP> Reply-To: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) Organization: VU Informatica, Amsterdam Lines: 27 In article <515@altura.srcsip.UUCP> linde@srcsip.UUCP () writes: >Hmmm [ comments about the C compiler source] The comments are basically true. I have mentioned this before, and might as well mention it again. The "sources" that UniPress and Transmediair are distributing are C programs that can be compiled on MINIX and to some extent modified. They were generated using ACK. ACK itself does not run on a PC class machine. It runs nicely on VAXes, SUNs, etc. The installation instructions start with something like: "First free up at least 40 megabytes of disk space". The installation procedure sets up some 4 or 5 front ends and a dozen or so back ends and takes an appreciable fraction of a day to install on a VAX or SUN. Thus, it simply isn't possible to do anything at all with the meta-sources on a PC. As a next best alternative, we made the output from the compiler- compilers, in C available. These will compile with MINIX ok. Some of the passes can be easily hacked by hand; others are table driven, so there is less you can do. The C sources are not entirely useless, even aside from changing them. Many people have been interested in cross compiling for MINIX on larger UNIX systems. Since the C compiler sources being distributed as just ordinary C programs that make V7 system calls (mostly just read and write), they can be ported to other UNIX systems quite easily. Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)