Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!apollo!rehrauer
From: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: 68k compiler target defaults
Message-ID: <4ba03a18.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Date: 16 Jul 90 14:37:00 GMT
References: <900715.20155735.017211@CMR.CP6>
Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM
Reply-To: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Apollo Division - Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 44

In article <900715.20155735.017211@CMR.CP6> Jacques_Gelinas@CMR001.BITNET writes:
>>               Second, we added three new "-cpu" options
>>               mathchip, mathlib and mathlib_sr10.
>
>No, thanks. This is not enough. As a simple user -who complains a lot-
>i want an internal flag to be turned on during the installation
>procedure telling the compiler what machines are on my networrk
>(many DN3500, 3 DN4000 ). The compiler should adjust its complicated
>flags automagically based on this information.

Hmmm, you're asking for the compiler to do a network poll to determine
the mix of nodes, and pick the most appropriate least-common-denominator
-cpu settings?  Or just a poll-and-set-it-once-when-the-compiler-is-installed
sort of environment flag?  The former seems like an unreasonable burden on
the average user -- I can imagine that large networks (of which we have one)
might take more effort to poll than the compilation would.

I could live with the latter; something like the ISP environ var?  Perhaps
M68K_COMPILER_CPU or some such?  Seems like a possibility for Real Confusion
if the install doesn't go smoothly, though -- are we talking about a question
you answer, or something the install is supposed to find out for itself?  (I
suppose the best solution would be for the install to try to figure it out,
and then ask for you to verify what it has found...)  Anyway, it's too late
in the release cycle for me to do anything like that for CR1.0; my poor boss
would be a wreck. :-)  I'm not even sure that I have any say over the install
script for the compilers.  I'll take the suggestion in consideration for the
next release, though; thanks.

If DN3x00's and 4x00's are all you have on your network, you really should
see a *BIG* improvement at CR1.0 compiling with the default -cpu setting
(mathlib_sr10).  At least now your compilers can assume that you have f.p.
regs and better-than-68010 addressing modes / instructions at your disposal...

>DO NOT ASSUME THAT ORDINARY USERS READ SOFTWARE RELEASE NOTES PLEASE.

I know, I know -- I don't.  That's one of the reasons I mentioned the matter
here; I believe in spreading information as widely, in as many ways, as early
as possible.  Isn't that what many of the recent complaints here have been
about: not getting needed information?  If I knew the answers to questions
about SCSI devices or SR10.2p, believe me, I'd help if I could.  All I can
do is to watch here & hope someone asks something about our compilers...
--
   >>"Aaiiyeeee!  Death from above!"<<     | (Steve) rehrauer@apollo.hp.com
"Spontaneous human combustion - what luck!"| Apollo Computer (Hewlett-Packard)