[Info-vax] Modern software development for VMS, was: Re: source control and semantics (Re: Why so much Unix envy?)

[Simon Clubley]

On 2014-09-14, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>
> What I cannot understand, and I admit I've never seen such tools, is 
> what can they do for me when I'm developing in BASIC for a VMS 
> environment on my VMS environment.
>

When native host compilers exist and you are happy with the development
environment on that native host then you don't need a cross compiler.

If you are developing code for a system which cannot support a
compiler running on it (such as an embedded system) then you need
a cross compiler.

If your vendor _chooses_ not to run compilers on the native host
even though it could support it (NSK), then you use a cross compiler.

If you are not happy with the existing tools available on a native
host and want to do all your development in a richer environment and
only deploy the executable to the host, then you use a cross compiler.

When I was trying to get gcc to build for a VMS target, then I would
_probably_ have been happy if I could only get a cross compiler (and
not the native hosted compiler) to build. I probably would not have
_required_ a native hosted gcc in order to consider this viable
although a native hosted gcc would have been desirable.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world