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From: dbrown%ece@ucsd.edu (David L. Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: 386 Minix with GCC, and what it can do.
Keywords: Minix 386 GCC
Message-ID: <12653@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Date: 13 Sep 90 22:42:41 GMT
Sender: news@sdcc6.ucsd.edu
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Nntp-Posting-Host: kurosawa.ucsd.edu

I am posting to inform the minix community that I have a stable
version of gcc running under Bruce Evans 386 Kernel.

I have recompiled all of the library, and utilities, and fs, mm, and init.
The kernel could probably be done with some work.

The biggest problem I have encountered is the need for an 80387.
This chip is expensive.  The compiler currently performs a small
floating point operation in the optimizer.  This supposedly can be
faked without using floating point routines.  The compiler will
still crash the machine if it encounters a floating point constant
in a program.

I can post patches to the compiler, but most people will have a very
difficult time cross compiling it.  I can place a binary of my version
of the compiler somewhere, if someone is willing to hold it.  No
other compiler for minix will compile the compiler.

Using gcc, I have also brought up the following programs:
TeX:  This works but the broken line printer driver makes it
nearly useless to me.
GNU Emacs:  This is large, but is a very nice editor.  Some of
the features of the program are not present, because I have not
bothered figuring out how to make them work under Minix.

I have replaced several of the utilities with other GNU or pd programs.
Most things can be downloaded and compiled and run.  The biggest problem
seems to be the library.

I have not made stdio support floating point (more than %e to make
the compier work), because I am waiting for a better stdio (the current
one will probably change a lot for POSIX).

Please let me know how I can make gcc for Minix 386 available.

David Brown
dbrown@ucsd.edu
dbrown%ece@ucsd.edu   (If their mail program breaks again)