I was two weeks away from starting work on a new system compiler, but it turns out someone else imported one at the weekend. I am now completely gutted, but there is no sense being a damn fool about it.
Best thing I could do now is contribute.
UPDATE : I’m half inclined to carry on with my compiler anyway, partly this is because I have spent the past few months creating project plans and sketching bits out, and partly because I think I have some good ideas not supported by any compiler currently. However the problem is that without community support it is going to take a lot longer than I had hoped. My other alternative is to start work on new debugger to replace GDB. PMDB currently exists to avoid the bloat of GDB, however the community is less at odds with GDB then GCC, so the need to move is less pressing.
Either way, I am certainly looking to contribute to PCC when I get back, there is a lot of work to get out of the way before it looks like a viable alternative ( like multi arch support, x86 sucks, ) though with all the major BSDs looking to support this compiler, I am inclined to stand on the side line for a bit and see how things progress.
It must seem unusual to anyone who is not familiar with the issues plaguing GCC why anyone would want to have any other compiler. Believe me, as someone who has participated and hacked in both communities, licensing is a mere cherry-on-top. Wether PCC is the way to go remains to be seen, however it is small and portable enough to make it a good starting point.
Of course we haven’t switched yet, oh no, but this is definatly a case of shutting-up-and-hacking, and that alone should be admired if nothing else.
UPDATE : Actually my other alternative is to restrict hacking to a day time activity.