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From: stephan@kontron.UUCP (Stephan W. Wendl)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Re: C-Compiler Validation Suites
Message-ID: <1189@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Nov-86 13:02:11 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.1189
Posted: Wed Nov 12 13:02:11 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Nov-86 22:21:02 EST
References: <1841@utah-gr.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Mt. View, CA
Lines: 21
Xref: mnetor comp.lang.c:24 comp.sys.ibm.pc:47

> Xref: kontron comp.lang.c:16 comp.sys.ibm.pc:25
> 
> In article <1182@kontron.UUCP> stephan@kontron.UUCP (Stephan W. Wendl) writes:
>>Yes, I also know that on UNIX systems one considers a successful
>>compilation of the unix kernel (of course the kernel should run, too)
>>as sufficent validation of the compiler.
> 
> Yes, and we have found bugs in several systems' handling of floating
> point numbers because of exactly this attitude.  Compilation of the
> kernel is NOT sufficient valication of the compiler!
> 
> 
> -- 
> =Spencer   ({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA)

As far as I can recall at the moment, the UNIX kernel doesn't use floating
point data (of course I might be wrong). So if leave out this "specific
application of math" (=FFP) then the kernel might right. It is clear that
such a test will NOT sufficently, if at all, test a FFP features of the 
compiler. Historically, I believe, one used the kernel. People who are
familiar with UNIX longer than I may correct me.