[Ilugc] why GNU should not be added to linux
- From: prem@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Prem Kurian Philip)
- Date: Sun Jun 6 02:35:22 2010
From: praveen chandrahas <chandrahas9@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Ilugc] why GNU should not be added to linux
To: ILUG-C <ilugc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
+1
Compile the kernel without gcc, debug without gdb and basically, don't use
the gnu toolchain.
Then call it linux os.
I'd say, we need to respect all those who contributed to the gnu "project"
and that can be done
by using its name in conjunction with linux.
Actually there is really no good reason for NOT being able to compile
Linux using compilers other than GCC if it weren't for the fact that they
have used GCC extensions in the Linux code base.
There have been a number of compilers which have been used to compile
Linux before - IBM's C compiler, Intel C compiler, the new LLVM compilers
etc.
Actually, there are very good reasons to change the Linux code base to
allow other compilers apart from GCC - performance being one of them.
Take a look at the Linux DNA project:
http://www.linuxdna.com/
Also see this (they are claiming as much as 40% performance improvements
in parts of the kernel simply because of using Intel C compiler and an
average of 8-9% performance improvement throughout):
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/linuxdna-supercharges-linux-intel-cc-compiler
There are other compilers besides GCC. Example: LLVM Clang which is BSD
licensed:
http://clang.llvm.org
Tell me, What if there is no GNU, No RMS ? No Linux right?
The replies given to this state that he was not an active developer or
something.
Its not just the technical input that matters. Who would have thought of
something
as radical as the GPL and then who would have spurred the development of
so
many free software
packages? Had the GPL been not there when Linus wrote the kernel, can you
imagine what would
have happened? I'd say it would have remained as just another student
project.
Yes, if GCC wasn't around, it would have hampered Linus's attempts
considerably. But he may still have found a way - after all, GCC wasn't
the only free compiler in town even then. I don't think Tannenbaum used
the GNU tool chain to write Minix or Amoeba.
By the way, most GNU projects will compile quite happily using ICC. Even
the Linux kernel could conceivably be modified to NOT use GCC extensions -
thus allowing it to be easily compiled by other compilers.
Regards,
Prem
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