Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!news.glorb.com!news-out.readnews.com!news-xxxfer.readnews.com!news.misty.com!news.iecc.com!nerds-end From: Joshua Cranmer Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: GCC is 25 years old today Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:17:31 -0500 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 23 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <12-03-067@comp.compilers> References: <12-03-051@comp.compilers> <12-03-053@comp.compilers> <12-03-062@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com X-Trace: leila.iecc.com 1333089680 6013 64.57.183.58 (30 Mar 2012 06:41:20 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:41:20 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: GCC, history Posted-Date: 30 Mar 2012 02:41:20 EDT X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:534 >>> In your views, what has been GCC's main contribution to the world of >>> compilers? >> >> maybe, being free. > > But GCC isn't the only free compiler out there, and yet no other > compiler, paid or free, managed to attain the same level of > popularity. Couldn't it be possible that GCC's success is owed to > some determining factor other than price? GCC is effectively required for the Linux kernel, among other things, which creates a surprisingly effective lock-in market considering only free software is involved :-). Once GCC was established, it means that any serious new compiler would have to both include most of GCC's extensions, mirror its command line (to insert itself into most build scripts easily), and get similar performance to be taken seriously--which amounts to a very tall order. Of course, in the past few years, the Clang/LLVM infrastructure has progressed well enough to be able to tackle the hegemony of GCC. -- Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it. -- Donald E. Knuth