Re: multiple compilers

[Ralf Wildenhues]

Hello Christopher,

* Christopher Hulbert wrote on Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 03:39:21PM CEST:
> I'm starting to think about how to compile/link for the cell processor
> using the autotools. My first thought was to configure for the PowerPC
> processor, then override the C compiler for the SPU source files, but
> that doesn't work. The only way I can see right now is multiple
> configures or independently configured subdirectories. Would there be
> any reason (except for the cell processor) for the libtool script to
> have multiple-configured compilers for a single language? Then, based
> on the compiler passed to the libtool command select one?

I'm not sure I understand the problem enough at all, best to treat me as
not having heard anything of the cell processor yet.

Is it that compilation is done on the powerpc processor for code to run
on the cell, and neither can execute code for the other?  So that would
be just a normal cross-compile situation, where you pass --host and
optionally also --build, and typically the cross compiler has a prefixed
name.  If you then also need to execute code compiled for the $build
system (the powerpc processor), then you will need two different libtool 
scripts, and for that you will need two different configure scripts.
However, I have yet to see a package that needs to build shared
libraries for both the $build and the $host system, except for
compilers and other related toolchain stuff.  In which case I guess it
helps to look at the (complicated!) build system GCC uses for bootstrap.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Ralf