Ah, now I'm getting where you come from. The question is, why would anyone need it? The GNU tools that actually make sense under FreeDOS: make, patch, flex, bison, findutils don't really need gcc. Realistically only things like binutils should really need gcc because of the use of AT&T assembler syntax, and those tools are of limited use in FreeDOS unless you need them to make gcc work.
On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 at 18:11, Jim Hall via Freedos-devel <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > Jim Hall 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). > > > Danilo Pecher wrote: > > > > 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. > > > > Yes, the OpenWatcom C compiler is the standard C compiler for FreeDOS. > And we prefer that all C programs get compiled under OpenWatcom C. > > And I agree with you that "Most GNU tools .. don't require gcc." But a > few of them do. As I said in my email, "Several of the GNU tools > assume you're compiling with GCC." > > And also as I said in my email: IN THESE CASES, you can sometimes get > past this by compiling with a GCC compiler, like IA-16 GCC. > > > So it's not really introducing "a second toolchain" but providing an > alternate toolchain for those who need it. > > > _______________________________________________ > 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
