[gccsdk] GCCSDK GCC 4 status update

[John Tytgat]

Time for another round-up of GCCSDK 4 developments since last report which
was end May 2007:

- We got mkresfs contributed by Rob Kendrick.  This converts files in a
  given directory to a C file which then can be compiled and the resulting
  code can be used to (de)register those files with ResourceFS.  To be used
  in module development and a replacement of resgen we had in GCCSDK 3.6
  and which was not portable to ELF based system we now have.
- Lee made significant changes to the shared object part of GCCSDK 4, both
  loader and generated shared object code which is now more efficient. This
  involved changes in UnixLib as well.  We removed the assembler based
  shared object ELF loader and are now only using and developing the C based
  one from now on.
- Our gcc patches got a little bit trimmed by dropping parts of AOF support
  and other non essential changes.
- We had the release of GCCSDK GCC 3.4.6 Release 3 wrapping up the bug
  fixes we did and the cross-compiler throwback support which Alex developed.
- The syslogd code used for throwback support in the cross-compiler found
  its place in GCCSDK 4 trunk.  At the moment it is only compilable with
  Acorn C/C++ (due to historical reasons as the code comes from my archive)
  and will get the necessary changes to be compilable with GCCSDK 4 over
  time.
- I've added the riscos.info GCCSDK & Autobuilder and CCres projects to
  ohloh.net as <URL:http://www.ohloh.net/projects/7187/> and
  <URL:http://www.ohloh.net/projects/7200/>. Other riscos.info repositories
  can of course be added as well if there is any interest for this.
  I would like to invite the other GCCSDK & Autobuilder contributors to
  attach their Ohloh profile to their contributions at
  <URL:http://www.ohloh.net/projects/7187/analyses/latest/contributors>.
- And probably the most exciting news is that we've got GCC 4.1.1 running on
  RISC OS, both as static binary version and as shared library version.
  For this the build system got changed (together with some bug fixes and
  additional patches) so that either it builds the cross-compiler, either it
  builds the native  RISC OS compiler using the previously built
  cross-compiler.
  Most of the projects inside the 'riscos' directory are now built as well,
  also in those two modes.  I've simplified the overall building and build
  instructions a bit which I hope this results in less frustration and time
  waste.  But there is still a usual bag of issues to sort out first before
  we can think of doing a release.  Let alone the testing which needs to
  be done.
  Would there be interest in doing a prerelease with the understanding that
  it is nowhere production ready but just to show where we are and the
  obvious things are which require fixing before a first release ?

On the Autobuilder side things are a bit quiet with the exception of Alan
having made an update on Airstrike and Black-box games.  With the recent
progress we're making on GCCSDK 4, the presure to have more Autobuilder
attention for shared library creation is only going to be bigger.

John.
-- 
John Tytgat, in his comfy chair at home                                 BASS
John.Tytgat at aaug.net                             ARM powered, RISC OS driven