[Info-vax] field test - what can done for the newcomers?

[John Reagan]

On Friday, August 6, 2021 at 11:27:02 AM UTC-4, calliet gérard wrote:
> Hello, 
> 
> I'm just beginning to really use the field test, and the associated 
> itanium cross-compilation tools. 
> 
> Very impressive the more than 900 files there. But there is no 
> documentation, just to know for example what for are some objects. 
> 
> I am ashamed to say my VMS culture is not sufficient to guess everything. 
> 
> I don't want to disturb VSI with beginners questions. Is there somewhere 
> some docs, advice, feedbacks? 
> 
> Anticipated thanks, 
> 
> Gérard Calliet 
> 
> -- 
> L'absence de virus dans ce courrier électronique a été vérifiée par le logiciel antivirus Avast. 
> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
The cross-tools does come with an installation guide and release notes for the compilers.

There is a setup command file to define a bunch of logical names so the cross-compilers will use the x86 headers.  

All of those object files and object libraries are for the cross-linker to link against.

I will admit that we're not completely consistent with how each tool is accessed.  For example, C has its own DCL verb, XCC.  BLISS uses syntax qualifiers like /X32 and /X64.  Pascal, COBOL, Fortran, Linker, MESSAGE, CDU reuse the standard DCL verb and just point logicals at the cross-tool (which hides the Itanium version from you).  The librarian and analyze can actually do both Itanium and x86 with the images on the cross-tools kit.