New subject: wpp

9 Dec 2002

      ...
On December 8, 2002 06:01 pm, Patrik Stridvall wrote:
...
It would be very nice it something made a GNU C compiler
library to support among other things only running
the preprocessor.
Um, you mean like "cpp"? The debian packagers have even split 
it out from 
the gcc package for convenience, the package description explains;

[snip]
The GNU C preprocessor is a macro processor that is used 
automatically by 
the GNU C compiler to transform programs before actual compilation.
This package has been separated from gcc for the benefit of those who 
require the preprocessor but not the compiler.
[snip]

so clearly it can be done, and this is presumably for the 
reasons Dimitrie 
mentioned - preprocessing can be a useful (and much faster) subset to 
separate out from the compilation process.
Note that I said LIBRARY. Still running cpp is presumably
more lightweight that running "gcc -E".
...
But as for the GPL argument against using the GNU C 
(pre)compiler from a 
run-time (ie. "forking/exec of 'gcc -E' is like linking to a 
GPL lib"), I 
find that rather hard to believe - especially as invoking 
"gcc -E" can be 
framed in very user-supplied terms. Eg. if the user is able to (in 
theory) configure the program to exec() any precompilation 
programs (and 
command-line options) they want, then who is going to sue 
*who* when the 
default value for that setting just happens to be "gcc -E" when the 
program installs?
Exactly, as I said, it would never fly in court.
However that doesn't mean that the FSF doesn't claim it never the less:
http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLInProprietarySystem
...
Richard Stallman will sue Redhat? Or will 
the FSF begin 
a crackdown against adolescent nerds who illegally point 
GPL-incompatible 
configuration files to GPL-licensed precompilers ...? I really don't 
think this should be a cause for concern.
No, I don't think it would be a cause for concern either.
Still, as I said, that is what they claim. Obviously they
are not stupid so it would be very unlikely that they would
press the issue. They seem to prefer to use FUD to accieve
their goals instead.

RE: wpp