[Info-vax] And another one bites the dust....

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 2/18/2022 7:07 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
> In article <620fc42f$0$701$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>,
> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>> On 2/18/2022 10:59 AM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>>>> Not really. The old DEC GEM compilers were super cool.
>>>>
>>>> The cost.
>>>
>>> Which cost?  Bolting on a backend for x86_64 wouldn't be that
>>> hard: they already have backends for VAX, MIPS, Alpha, and
>>> Itanium.
>>
>> ????
>>
>> VSI is already doing that by utilizing LLVM.
> 
> ...at the hidden cost of maintain two separate toolchains
> for different architectures, and maintaining common code in
> a least-common-denominator dialect of the language, at
> least until they cut Alpha and Itanium loose completely.

I think they are reusing what they can.

Based on presentations the model for existing compilers are:

(source)--common frontend--(GEM IR)--GEM--(Alpha/Itanium code)

(source)--common frontend--(GEM IR)--G2L--(LLVM IR)--LLVM--(x86-64 code)

>>>> Maybe ARM or RISC-V some day in the future.
>>>
>>> It seems clear that there's an architectural shift away
>>> from x86 happening.  Best to lay the groundwork now to
>>> avoid being caught out.
>>
>> Maybe, but even if it does happen then it will take many years.
> 
> Which is why they should get a jump on things now. :-)

If they had enough resources, but VSI is a relative small company.

Arne