Bernd Schmidt wrote:
I must admit I don't understand the upside. I've always thought of plugins as something proprietary programs need because their source isn't open.
On the contrary, the plug-in model is used in several large and complex open source projects (firefox, thunderbird, gimp, linux kernel, etc). It's precisely the complexity reduction features that make plug-ins so attractive.
For us this means attracting more developers, which in turn means bigger potential for attracting long-time contributors, which helps with the long-term survival of GCC.
In my view, plugins will bitrot quickly as GCC's interface changes; and they won't even help with the learning curve - does anyone believe for a second you won't have to understand compiler internals to write a plugin?
Of course not. But with a plug-in framework you get to interact with exactly the set of components important for your work, you don't have to deal with the whole compiler and its internal build machinery.
Diego.
