Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rice!sun-spots-request
From: jas@proteon.com (John A. Shriver)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Sun's unbundling of C and pricing questions
Keywords: Miscellaneous
Message-ID: <7508@brazos.Rice.edu>
Date: 8 May 90 23:33:32 GMT
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Organization: Sun-Spots
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X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 156, message 11

I don't think trying to make money off us is what Sun had in mind with
unbundling the C compiler.  They will (of course) continue to include one,
how else could you build a kernel?

I think the reason that was stated for unbundling the C compiler was to
provide a more recent and competitive compiler.  The compiler they ship
with the system is frozen a LONG time before release.  This is done so
that they can have trust in the C compiler they are using to compile the
system and utilities with.  This is so the kernel developers can focus on
their own bugs, not the bugs in the compiler.  (I have friends who worked
at computer companies where you compiled the kernel with the "C compiler
of the week".  It was total chaos, they were always sidetracked on
compiler bugs.)

This is why the C compiler that comes with SunOS is so "stodgy".  It is on
a very long release cycle -- the release cycle of the kernel.

Selling a separate compiler that does not have to compile the kernel and
utilities frees Sun from this constraint.  I suspect they require you to
use the stock compiler to compile kernel files (drivers, etc.).