Re: 16-bit i386 code support in GAS

[Bryan Ford <baford@schirf.cs.utah.edu>]

>   > (Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this question;
>   > I couldn't find any better address in the GAS documentation...)
>
>Probably bug-gnu-utils is the best publicly advertised place.  The gas2
>list at Cygnus is a less advertised one, intended mainly for developers.

I've sent messages (including bug _fixes_, not just reports)
to bug-gnu-utils several times before, and have never gotten any
kind of response whatsoever - my mail just disappears into the void. :-)

>[...16 bit support...]
>I'd like to see this work done (but cleanly!), for precisely the reasons
>you mention.  Anyone doing kernel or stand-alone program development
>currently has to have as86 and ld86 as well as the GNU tools for the
>32-bit code.  That's just silly.
>
>I'd also like to have a general overhaul of the i386 back end done.  It's
>got lots of other problems, especially some dealing with segment
>registers.  I've been thinking about doing some of this work myself, but
>if you've got a strong overall understanding of the quirks of the i386
>instruction set, and a lot of spare time you want to donate, let me
>know...

I have a pretty good understanding of the 386 instruction set,
but no experience in the GAS source code, and practically no free time.
I was thinking of adding the 16-bit support myself if it was fairly trivial,
but it sounds as if it isn't.  I still might be able to, but not any time soon...

Thanks...

				Bryan