Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hoptoad!gnu
From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: GCC on System V/AT 2.3.0-L
Message-ID: <4239@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: 25 Mar 88 12:02:33 GMT
References: <23696@clyde.ATT.COM>
Organization: Grasshopper Group in San Francisco
Lines: 30

wtr@moss.ATT.COM wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone has managed to port the
> Gnu C Compiler (GCC) over to microport 2.3?

There is basically no chance that GCC will run native on a 16-bit
machine.  It likes large, contiguous data structures, which Intel
machines hate.  At least once the Microsoft/AT&T/Interactive
application binary standard for 8086 is finalized and adopted (maybe a
few years from now, when nobody will care any more), you'll be able to
buy Microsoft's MSC for Xenix and run it on Microport's Unix.

However, on the gcc front, I heard that someone is doing a 386 port,
and it should be possible to use that on microport unix on a 386 box.
It should be easy to bring up (once the 386 code generator is released)
if either:

     *	your current compiler can handle gcc's source (sounds like 
	microport's is unlikely to),

or   *	you have a real working Unix box, that gcc runs on, handy.
	You can cross-compile to 386 assembler source, move that
	to the 386 box, and assemble and link it there.  Then use that
	binary to recompile its own sources.  Once you've bootstrapped,
	you *have* a compiler that can handle gcc...

Watch comp.emacs, or get on the info-gcc mailing list by sending mail
to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu, to find out when the 386 gcc comes out.
-- 
{pyramid,ptsfa,amdahl,sun,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu			  gnu@toad.com
		"Watch me change my world..." -- Liquid Theatre