A binary-only from-working-sources no-guarantees snapshot of the Glasgow Haskell compiler (GHC) for Linux x86 machines is now available by FTP from ftp.dcs.glasgow.ac.uk, in pub/haskell/glasgow/ghc-0.25-linux.tar.gz. This release is the first, long-awaited "registerized" GHC for Linux, which produces code of reasonable size and speed. We use our normal technique of "stealing registers" with GCC's global-variables-in-registers facility. We "steal" six of the x86's eight general-purpose registers, including the C stack-pointer (%esp), which we use for the heap pointer (Hp). To use this GHC, you need a special version of GCC, which is also provided in the distribution (under "gcc-linux-to-linux"). Whatever you do, please do *not* report any "bugs" in this GCC to bug-gcc -- report them to *me* instead. One special thing you must watch out for: If GCC "crashes" with a message about spilling registers, it is *not* a GCC problem. It means you must get GHC to "back off" in its register "stealing". First try a -monly-4-regs flag, then -monly-3-regs, and as a last resort, -monly-2-regs. As far as we know, all Haskell code goes through GHC with a -monly-2-regs flag (but it produces substantially worse code with that flag). Profiling is not provided in this release. Please report any bugs to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Will Partain AQUA project (slave) Dated: 95/04/01 === INSTALLATION NOTES ============================================== Unpack the distribution. Move "gcc-linux-to-linux" and "ghc-0.25-linux" wherever you like. Alter the "gcc" script to point to wherever you've put "gcc-linux-to-linux", and put the "gcc" script wherever you wish in your PATH. Make a link to ghc-0.25-linux/ghc/driver/ghc, so that "ghc" will be in your PATH. Change *all* hardwired paths in ghc/driver/ghc and in ghc/utils/hscpp/hscpp to point to where things are on your system. Notably: where "perl" is (first line of each script), where $TopPwd is (ghc script), where your gcc cpp is (hscpp script). GHC should then work. Try "ghc -v" on something simple, to make sure it compiles and links a program correctly.
