Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news
From: gil@snsys.com (Gil Jaysmith)
Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.programming.gnu_compiler,scee.yaroze.programming.gnu_compiler
Subject: Re: GNU / SIOCONS for PC Unix
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 1997 10:39:47 GMT
Organization: SN Systems
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Charles Henrich <henrich@msu.edu> wrote:

>Also, how about some details regarding the GNU compiler suites, was any
>work done to stock compilers to make it work for the PSX, if so where
>might I find the source?  (According to the GNU Public License the
>source is always supposed to be released along with the binary media,
>but Sony has ignored that bit by not placing it on the CD).

The professional compiler is the standard GNU source with a couple of
patches to make sure it works properly with MS-DOS, and with a
slightly customised config file (something which surrounds & includes
config\mips\mips.h) to specify that the PSX is a little-endian R3000
with no hardware FP. Most of the hassle I get with building it is to
do with running the makefile in a DOS window rather than with it not
actually working once it's been built.

I don't know about the assembler and linker, although I imagine
they're reasonably unchanged from normal builds since by that point
target-specificity has pretty much been dealt with.

I should also defend Sony (slightly) by saying that the GPL says the
following:

- The source code only has to be made available to someone if that
someone obtained the executable from you.
- 'Making the source code available' can be done by shipping it,
making a clear offer to ship it, or redistributing the same clear
offer you received from the person you obtained the executables from.
You can't charge more than the actual distribution cost for it.

(This is why at the moment our website doesn't have a link to the
source. If one of the professional developers wants it, it's on our
BBS or I'll supply it on request, which is good enough.)

Obviously all Yaroze purchasers are entitled to obtain the source code
for all the GNU tools on the CD, and since I haven't looked at the
Yaroze site I don't know whether they've got a link on there. If not,
they should have. But the Free Software Foundation is mostly compelled
to distribute source alongside executables simply because they *are*
the original site for most GNU software and they have such a lot of
work to do in new development that doing anything fancier would be a
waste of their resources. Anyone distributing GPL-covered code can
make it easier on themselves by not bothering with the source until
someone asks for it... after all, the compiler toolchain is over 100Mb
of source code which holds little interest for 99% of users.

One of these days I suppose I might put the GNU source code on our
website, but right now we don't have the space :)


Gil Jaysmith
SN Systems Software Ltd, makers of Psy-Q... http://www.snsys.com
Disclaimer: What I say when I post here represents me, not my employers.