23 May
2012
23 May
'12
12:47 p.m.
Probably the best thing to do is reproduce the problem on an emulation
platform and start reporting the issues to the gcc group. I doubt that
they have access to do builds to do their verification, so working to be
the supporter of the vax with the emulated or real platform would be the
other thing to do.
I don't know if they have automated test suites to test all of this, but
I'd hope the core development group isn't hand testing everything for
regression problems.
Have they stated that they are actively going to remove the support at
some time? Then you're probably on your own.
However the access to the platform is probably the crucial key thing.
Having a way to download an emulator, vm image with compiler development
tools installed would greatly boost the effort.
Jim
On 5/23/2012 10:54 AM, David Brownlee wrote:
I was wondering if there are any VAX coders on the
list who are
willing (and brave/strange enough) to poke into gcc internals?
I have a (relatively speedy) little VAXstation 4000/90 happily
running NetBSD-6, which is built using gcc-4.1.
All of the other NetBSD ports have switched across to gcc-4.5, but
some changes in 4.5 have caused codegen issues in the VAX backend.
Essentially you can cross compile a vax system with gcc-4.5, but
the resultant system exhibits certain, shall we say, glitches (most
annoyingly in the boot program), and the generated compiler is
unable to reliably compile anything.
Additionally the gcc DWARF2 stack unwinding for VAX appears to be
incomplete, causing issues for C++ exceptions, and potentially
making libffi unbuildable on VAX.
( http://gnats.netbsd.org/cgi-bin/query-pr-single.pl?number=44155 )
The latter point is quite annoying as it blocks building glib2,
and any app that depends upon it.
I know the VAX is pretty much the poster child for legacy platform
nowdays, but from a certain perspective a VAX has similar
characteristics to an unusual embedded system, (just built using
steam pipes& valves), so should be able to run the same basic
apps, tools, and even graphical apps.
Besides, to quote Dylan Thomas I feel the VAX should not go gentle
into that good night, but rage, rage against the dying of the light
:)