From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 109fba,94a2b19e68586a6 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,9adfbb907494972e X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,9adfbb907494972e X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Stephen Leake Subject: Re: Ada to C/C++ translator needed Date: 1996/10/08 Message-ID: <325A5740.52E6@gsfc.nasa.gov>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 188016926 references: <536eid$gv2@news.ccit.arizona.edu> <53anuv$meh@news.nyu.edu> content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA mime-version: 1.0 reply-to: Stephen.Leake@gsfc.nasa.gov newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++ x-mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; U) Date: 1996-10-08T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Having just helped write the MD files for a VERY simple chip (the UT69R000), I can provide another anecdote. I started with NO knowledge of gcc, an MD files that were copied from some other chip and edited. It was fairly easy to get simple C code to work (on the level of A = B + 1). But when I got to functions with many statements, and the register allocation kicked in, things got complicated very quickly. I had to learn how gcc allocated registers, and how to make the MD files work with that process. Reading other MD files helped a lot, and the gcc code is pretty well commented, but it wasn't easy. All told, it was six months before I got the C compiler to pass most of an ANSI validation suite. I haven't gotten to testing the Ada compiler yet (I'm working on other stuff); nested procedures and exception handling may uncover another level of bugs. If the chip you are porting to is at all complex, incorporating that complexity will take more time, too. On the whole, it was a rewarding experience; if you like complex puzzles, go for it! -- - Stephe