🚀 go-pugleaf

jbuck@forney.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck) writes:
> Just about everyone who's brought out a RISC chip lately has ported
> gcc to it; in many cases it's the only compiler available for the chip.
> gcc was originally written for the Vax and the 68000; the feedback provided
> by the porters, TOGETHER WITH THEIR SOURCE, made it far easier to port gcc
> to each additional chip and architecture.  Without the GPL, each vendor would
> have started with gcc anyway (why not?  It's a high quality piece of work
> they could get free), but not sent their own sources back to FSF.  Result:
> lots of people very expensively reinventing the wheel.  Instead, gcc has
> become easier and easier to port.

How, then, do you explain MINIX?  It's under a commercial license.  Source
is made available.  Many people have sent patches and improvements to MINIX
back to the authors, and they have been included in subsequent releases.
The system has become more and more portable; there are now PC, ST, Amiga,
and Mac versions, with an Archimedes (RISC) version expected soon.


mathew

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