[oi-dev] Build of gcc-7.3.0 stops with linker errors

[Toomas Soome]

> On 21 May 2018, at 18:24, Gary Mills <gary_mills at fastmail.fm> wrote:
> 
> On Mon, May 21, 2018 at 02:41:50PM +0000, ken mays via oi-dev wrote:
>>   @Gary,
>>   DilOS mentioned: "SPARC: illumos build still with gcc 4,x because have
>>   to work on transitions of Sun AS -> GNU AS for sparc sources."
>>   I just wrote about a move to either GCC 6.x/7.x moving forward, then I
>>   remember this from DilOS....darn....
> 
> The real problem is that we don't have source for the Sun assembler,
> meaning that we can't change it.  GCC on OI does invoke the Sun
> assembler for SPARC but the GNU assembler for x86 hardware.  It can,
> of course, invoke the GNU assembler on SPARC hardware too.  The
> assembly languages are somewhat different, though.  I don't know how
> different they are, but all the assembly language source files in
> illumos are written for the Sun assembler.
> 
> So, we have a few options.  The easiest one may be to create a
> translator and use it to convert the source files.  It doesn't have
> to be efficient as it will be used only once.  It does have to be
> accurate.
> 

To be really honest, all such transition from sun as to something else is like walking - you take one step at the time. Thats assuming there actually is a will to make those steps.    I am one who has recently touched the SPARC assembler files - it really is that simple:)

rgds,
toomas