Re: [PATCH 0/1] Build GDB as a C++ program by default

[Simon Marchi <simon.marchi@ericsson.com>]

On 16-04-19 10:18 AM, Pedro Alves wrote:
> On 04/19/2016 02:34 PM, Simon Marchi wrote:
>> On 16-04-18 01:27 PM, Pedro Alves wrote:
>>> It's been a long ride, but GDB now builds cleanly as a C++ program on
>>> most supported systems.
>>>
>>> There are a few host-specific files that may be missing the occasional
>>> cast, but for all I know, most of the codebase has been converted and
>>> builds cleanly, with no undefined behavior and no hacks.
>>>
>>> It's time to try building GDB with a C++ compiler by default, which is
>>> what the the following trivial patch does.
>>>
>>> Following the discussion on the gdb@ list, this flips the default on
>>> all hosts, unconditionally.
> 
>> Does that mean that all supported hosts have been tested to build in C++?
> 
> "all" is a bit too wide.  There are simply too many to tell:
> 
>  https://sourceware.org/gdb/wiki/Systems
> 
> I don't know whether VAX or m68k BSD build cleanly, for instance.
> I don't know whether they build cleanly in C-mode, either -- I
> wouldn't be surprised if several of the listed systems on that
> table didn't build today.
> 
> It sort of goes back to what you'd call "supported host".  If
> nobody's actively caring about such hosts, then it's just
> going to happen that changes elsewhere will accidentally break
> them.
> 
> But at least we know that x86-64 NetBSD and FreeBSD build and run
> in C++ mode, which I think is sufficient proxy for all BSDs, in
> the sense that if something else is needed it'll probably be a
> couple malloc casts here and there in the corresponding $arch-nat.c
> files.
> 
> AFAIK, all GNU/Linux ports build cleanly.
> 
> (Except maybe Xtensa, which may need your small cast patch on
> my github.  Is that one still needed?).
> 
> MinGW (w64) builds and runs cleanly for me too.
> 
> I think the ones pending confirmation are Solaris and QNX.
> 
> If we do find some host does trip on some big problem, then we
> can always flip it back to C by default.
> 
> Given that the request for testing with --enable-build-with-cxx
> was sent five months ago, and nobody reported breakage (nor success)
> on Solaris/QNX, I think we need to bite the bullet and move forward.
> 
> We won't know unless we try.
> 
> WDYT?

Yeah, it makes sense.  I thought that you wanted to go gradually,
flipping to C++ by default only the hosts we have tested, so that
we see which ones are remaining (and test them).

But I have absolutely no objection with flipping the switch globally :).