On 10/04/2021 14:58, Pankaj Jangid wrote: > > I have never said that the project will survive without maintainers. I > just asked you to count me as well. Success of the project also depends > on how widely it is used. And you need to look at the reasons why people > are using it. >
I think it is useful to consider why people use gcc - I agree that without users, there would be no project. So why /do/ people use it? I suspect that one of the biggest reason is "it's the only compiler that will do the job". For a lot of important software, such as Linux kernel, it is gcc or nothing. Another big reason is that gcc comes with their system, which is commonly the case for Linux systems. In the embedded development world (where I work), the normal practice for getting a toolchain for a microcontroller is to download an IDE and toolchain from the manufacturer - and these days it is more often gcc than not. You use gcc because that is the standard, not from choice. For those that actively /choose/ gcc, why do they do so? I'd guess being convenient, well-known and free (as in beer) come a lot higher than the details of the licence, or the difference between "free software" and "open source software". (For me, a major reason is that the same compiler supports a wide range of targets. That, and that gcc is technically a better compiler for my needs than any alternatives.) I suspect that only a very small (but not zero) proportion of gcc users care that the project is part of GNU and under the FSF. I suspect that a larger proportion would start caring if they felt (rightly or wrongly) that at the top of the hierarchy was a misogynist who patronises and sexually harasses women. (As always, this is just my opinion.)
