Hi Jim, I don't think it is a good idea to introduce a second toolchain. Most GNU tools, especially those that you would use outside of a gcc dev enironment, don't require gcc. I can say that with some confidence, because I compiled them using non-gcc compilers under AIX and HP-UX in the past, and that past goes back as far as 1998. Ideally, it should be possible to build all packages coming with C-sources using the same toolchain, else we'll all end up with HDDs full of compilers.
Essential tools like flex, bison, make, patch are all easily portable to OWC, in fact you'll probably run into more hassle with text formatting issues than any compiler dependencies. The only package where I would see potential problems would be binutils, but those are not really needed unless you're building with gcc in the first place. cheers, Danilo On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 at 12:19, Jim Hall via Freedos-devel <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > Several of the GNU tools assume you're compiling with GCC. Or they at least > assume a more recent-standard Unix-like compiler. > > In these cases, trying to port a GNU utility to FreeDOS using OpenWatcom can > be a lot harder than just compiling it with a GCC compiler like IA-16 GCC. > (Djgpp is great too, but requires the target system is a 386 or better, IA-16 > GCC requires a 386 to compile but the exe can run on lower systems). > > > > > > On Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 5:07 AM Danilo Pecher via Freedos-devel > <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: >> >> I have to admit, I'm rather confused about the gcc IA-16 thing too. >> Jim seems to like it a lot, but Watcom code runs on all processors >> too, provided you use the proper options to have it compile for the >> lowest common demoninator, which would be the 8086. >> >> On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 at 11:04, Bruce Axtens via Freedos-devel >> <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: >> > >> > Assuming I'm an experienced programmer (have been since 1983), >> > >> > * Port FreeDOS utilities to OpenWatcom C (our preferred C compiler) and >> > NASM (our preferred assembler). >> > >> > Specifically? >> > >> > * Apply some much-needed patches to the Freemacs editor >> > >> > Where's the list of fixes? >> > >> > * Write some cool edit modes for Freemacs. >> > >> > Hmm ... that's a TRAC dialect. I've been meaning to learn TRAC and >> > even add it to the Exercism stable. Maybe I should add MINT instead. Can >> > MINT be used stand-alone or only inside Freemacs? >> > >> > * Port GNU utilities to FreeDOS, such as using IA-16 GCC (IA-16 GCC >> > requires a '386 or better to compile, but programs compiled with IA-16 >> > GCC run on all CPUs) or DJGPP (might be the only option for some larger >> > programs). >> > >> > Hang on, a moment ago you were asking for FreeDOS utilities to be >> > ported to OpenWatcom C. What's with the GCC/DJGPP? >> > >> > * Create a new alternative shell, similar to COMMAND.COM but with >> > expanded BAT programming. >> > >> > So like Windows's CMD.EXE with FOR /L and FOR /D and FOR /F etc? >> > >> > * Volunteer to become the maintainer for a program that doesn't have an >> > active developer. >> > >> > Hmm ... sound masochistic. That'd be quite a few programs, no? >> > >> > >> > -Bruce. >> > >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Freedos-devel mailing list >> > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Freedos-devel mailing list >> Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel > > _______________________________________________ > Freedos-devel mailing list > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
