• Frank Benoit <keinfarbton googlemail.com> Dec 20 2007
• Bill Baxter <dnewsgroup billbaxter.com> Dec 20 2007
• BLS <nanali nospam-wanadoo.fr> Dec 20 2007
• Lionello Lunesu <lio lunesu.remove.com> Dec 20 2007
• Bill Baxter <dnewsgroup billbaxter.com> Dec 20 2007
• Jascha Wetzel <firstname mainia.de> Dec 20 2007
• Sean Kelly <sean f4.ca> Dec 20 2007
• Robert Fraser <fraserofthenight gmail.coim> Dec 20 2007
• Frank Benoit <keinfarbton googlemail.com> Dec 20 2007

Frank Benoit <keinfarbton googlemail.com> writes:

DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?

If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
without making the backend open source.

The advantage would be
- Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
- If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
  And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.

Frank

Bill Baxter <dnewsgroup billbaxter.com> writes:

Frank Benoit wrote:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?
 
 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.
 
 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.
 
 Frank


I think that'd be grand.

--bb

BLS <nanali nospam-wanadoo.fr> writes:

Frank Benoit schrieb:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?
 
 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.
 
 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.
 
 Frank



Vote++
Further advantage,
IDE developers could modify DMD to what they need. DMD as dll/so, code 
metrics, profiler output ...

But I doubt that Walter is willing to give us this opportunity.
At the moment you are not allowed to bundle DMD with your product.

Bjoern

Lionello Lunesu <lio lunesu.remove.com> writes:

Frank Benoit wrote:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?
 
 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.
 
 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.
 
 Frank


I've managed to compile and link(!) GDC under cygwin once. It wasn't 
easy, and I should have written it down :( but it does give you an open 
D compiler in the end.

L.

Bill Baxter <dnewsgroup billbaxter.com> writes:

Lionello Lunesu wrote:
 Frank Benoit wrote:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released 
 sources?

 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.

 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.

 Frank


 I've managed to compile and link(!) GDC under cygwin once. It wasn't 
 easy, and I should have written it down :( but it does give you an open 
 D compiler in the end.


I tried once and eventually gave up. :-(

--bb

Jascha Wetzel <firstname mainia.de> writes:

Lionello Lunesu wrote:
 Frank Benoit wrote:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released 
 sources?

 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.

 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.

 Frank


 I've managed to compile and link(!) GDC under cygwin once. It wasn't 
 easy, and I should have written it down :( but it does give you an open 
 D compiler in the end.
 
 L.


Just for the record: compiling llvmdc on linux is very simple. It 
doesn't implement the whole language yet, but it's nice to play around 
with. Tomas is aiming for an alpha release early next year (go tomas, goo :)
I'm really looking forward to that - D on LLVM, that'll remedy all the 
target platform troubles D has.

Sean Kelly <sean f4.ca> writes:

Frank Benoit wrote:
 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?


Not as it stands, though someone may be able to create a c-front 
back-end without tremendous heartache.


Sean

Robert Fraser <fraserofthenight gmail.coim> writes:

Frank Benoit Wrote:

 DMDs frontend is open source, the backend is close.
 Is there a way to compile a full functional DMD from the released sources?
 
 If the DMD release would contain a static lib for the closed part (like
 libDmdBackend.a/dmdBackend.lib) it should be possible to build DMD
 without making the backend open source.
 
 The advantage would be
 - Users could learn how DMD works, not only by looking at the code.
 - If a bug blocks developement, the user /can/ try to find a workaround.
   And then, the change /can/ be tested, before submitting a patch.
 
 Frank


Descent's Java port and Rebuild's DMD version are fully compilable.

Frank Benoit <keinfarbton googlemail.com> writes:

Robert Fraser schrieb:
 Descent's Java port and Rebuild's DMD version are fully compilable.



But not full functional. They cannot build executables.