Re:New ELF Linker from the LLVM Project
by carussell on Thursday December 03, 2015 @02:14PM
(#10671812)
> Sony [...] as they were developing the toolchain for the PS4 [...] couldn't add their contributions into the LLVM toolchain
Why is that? Do you have something I can read about this?
This is the only thing I can find on the topic, and it mentions upstreaming by default after some time ("living on trunk"): http://llvm.org/devmtg/2013-11/slides/Robinson-PS4Toolchain....
Furthermore, I'd disagree that the GNU binutils are the only toolset that are keeping us from proprietary hell. The LLVM development model, with fairly frequent releases and updates gives a huge push for toolchain users to contribute their patches. Sony, for example, had been grumpily looking at all the new features in LLVM being added as they were developing the toolchain for the PS4 because they couldn't add their contributions into the LLVM toolchain, and couldn't import the LLVM updates to avoid DNF syndrome.
I'd even go as far as to say that LLVM is our best hope of keeping the GNU project honest. A competing, Free, toolchain means that the GNU project cannot feign ignorance of the new features that llvm is bringing to the development table. The abilities that llvm offer are slowly trickling into gcc, even if certain parties are fearful of what effects those changes might bring. The right mix of cooperation and competition can and does bring wonderful things.