Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!unmvax!uokmax!servalan!epmooch!ben From: ben@epmooch.UUCP (Rev. Ben A. Mesander) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Re: Bugginess of compilers (Was: Re: DICE vs GCC) Message-ID: Date: 10 Apr 91 20:30:00 GMT References: <9104021420.AA10848@thunder.LakeheadU.Ca> <1991Apr4.034920.16298@marlin.jcu.edu.au> <1991Apr4.180217.19773@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <1991Apr5.030228.28756@marlin.jcu.edu.au> <966@boing.UUCP> <1991Apr7.172821.13328@santra.uucp> <968 Distribution: world Lines: 53 >In article <968@boing.UUCP> dale@boing.UUCP (Dale Luck) writes: >In article <1991Apr7.172821.13328@santra.uucp> jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala) writes: >> >>I find it silly that after that much bad experience with a broken >>compiler you still stick with it, especially concerning that there's >>an excellent compiler like gcc available with source. > >All compilers on the Amiga at that time were seriously deficient. Thats >why I used the Greenhills C compiler on my Sun to generate my Amiga X11 code. > >Also as far as I know, gcc comes with zip for library support. GCC comes with a decent library. It even has many of the functions that SAS/C is missing. A lot of it is from the PDC and BSD sources. I regularly pull functions out of it to link with the SAS code I develop, because the SAS library is often missing some routines. >We don't wish to be in the business of fixing compiler bugs, that's why >we pay for commercial software; so we have someone we can call up on the >phone and complain to or send email. Usually there is a way to code >around the problem until the bug is actually fixed. SAS has shown an >immense improvement in support in the last 2 years. I don't think that GCC is for everyone, or for every situation, but you can hardly claim that RMS has not supported GCC well. In fact, I've contacted FSF with regards to one of thier other products (BASH), and recieved prompt, courteous, and correct help in a single day. I've written SAS a letter with my bug list and some questions that I could not answer after extensive experimentation and the perusal of the manual. The only reply I ever got was an email letter from an Evil IBM Mainframe (TM) :-) with the single line "Are you Ben Mesander?" as the message. The IBM appeared to be named SAS.COM or some such. I'm not sure the two events are connected (my letter and the mysterious email). This occurred several months ago. Now, why do I use SAS? Well, until there's an Amiga linker that can handle COMMON hunks, GCC's object file generation is a rather cumbersome process. SAS/C also uses less memory. CPR is great, although deficient in FP support. I really REALLY REALLY like CPR!! Whether or not I paid for it has little to do with it. I regularly use GCC on a Sun at work to generate production code. In fact, when I get my new Aviion workstation, I understand Data General will be shipping GCC as the compiler. >Dale Luck GfxBase/Boing, Inc. >{uunet!cbmvax|pyramid}!amiga!boing!dale -- | ben@epmooch.UUCP (Ben Mesander) | "Cash is more important than | | ben%servalan.UUCP@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu | your mother." - Al Shugart, | | !chinet!uokmax!servalan!epmooch!ben | CEO, Seagate Technologies |