[Axiom-developer] Re: cross-compiling Axiom

[Gabriel Dos Reis]

On Sun, 3 Sep 2006, Bill Page wrote:

| On September 1, 2006 7:40 PM Gabriel Dos Reis
| >
| > On Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Tim Daly wrote:
| >
| > | Please explain what you mean by cross-compilation.
| >
| > Benjamin Kosnik tried to explain that in April on this list.
| > Imagine I'm running on x86-based machine, and I must build
| > binaries for a PowerPC-based systems.
| >
| > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-compiling
| > ...
|
| I think anyone who suggests that Axiom should/could be built
| this way does not understand how lisp works.

For data points, Emacs is lisp-based and can be cross-compiled.  Maybe
Stallman and friends don't understand how lisp works, however they made
Emacs cross-compilable.  But, since that is from the real world, it
probably does not count.

| What sense does
| it make to try to do a lisp save-system to some other hardware
| platform?

Properly distinguish build, host and target specific tools and files.
Make sure that, for example, when GCL tries to compile a function,
it invokes the adequate C compiler; that GCL is itself compiled with
the adequate C compiler etc.

| Or do I misunderstand what you mean?

I don't know; however, you're most certainly welcome to explain why you
believe people suggesting cross-compilation of Axiom don't know how
lisp works.

-- Gaby