> I consider this repo as an "exploded container" designed to be deployed in a VM to put your code in and get your binaries out.
Only after compiling the whole thing. And it’s not like this does anything special to enforce reproducibility.
On that note there are preexisting docker containers.
Considering it has 858 forks incl. by corporations like WD Semi and SiFive, I think I'm not too far off in my guess.
> helped incubating said containers and distro support over the years?
Tool chain build scripts for gcc and clang have existed for as nearly as long as the respective projects have been around - which in the case of gcc is over 30 years.
Also see https://crosstool-ng.github.io/
Distros like Debian have been packaging cross compilers for decades with their own tooling, long before 2014. MSYS has existed for I can’t remember (long before 2014).
As someone below said - this is a “very solved problem”.
So, IOW, I wasn't aware the level of support present in RISC-V in GCC, TIL.
Asnwering your question, the README.md vaguely tells me that it provides a single-step, complete cross compilation toolchain to reduce project startup overheads. I consider this repo as an "exploded container" designed to be deployed in a VM to put your code in and get your binaries out. I guess the whole chain is composed of GNUs own tools, or with GPL licensed stuff, so it's not encumbered by anything, or broken by a tool because "we now provide this support in our closed source fork" situations.