Why only Linux uses GCC to compile the source code. please help

[Erik Mouw]

On Wed, Jan 24, 2001 at 06:49:13PM +0530, Mahadev K Cholachagudda wrote:
> The problems if one uses 'x' compiler other than GCC.
> =====================================================
> 
> 1. He/she may not get the features of GCC listed above into the 'x'
> compiler.
> 
> 2. The Linux kernel mainly uses GCC. If the Linux kernel is made to compile
> using 'x' compiler other than GCC, then code updation will take time for 'x'
> compiler if a newer version or patch of Linux released.

I see no problems over here. Linux makes explicit use of GCC features,
it was not meant to be compiled with a different compiler. Note that
the Linux kernel is not a normal program, so we don't have to deal with
compatibility. If you want to use another compiler to compile your
kernel: go ahead, but don't expect any help from this list.

> 3. The Linux code may have some code which is purely based upon the data
> types e.g. for one processor the unsigned long may be 32 bits or 16 bits.

That's what the __uXX/__sXX data types are for: to ensure that the data
types are indeed XX bits long. See include/asm-*/types.h.


Erik

-- 
J.A.K. (Erik) Mouw, Information and Communication Theory Group, Department
of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology and Systems,
Delft University of Technology, PO BOX 5031,  2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Phone: +31-15-2783635  Fax: +31-15-2781843  Email: J.A.K.Mouw@its.tudelft.nl
WWW: http://www-ict.its.tudelft.nl/~erik/

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