Subject: Re: I want to rid ugly float load/stores used only for data movement
To: M L Riechers <mlr@rse.com>
From: Simon Burge <simonb@wasabisystems.com>
List: tech-toolchain
Date: 02/23/2003 13:19:06
[ Dropping port-macppc for this reply ]

On Sat, Feb 22, 2003 at 05:16:25PM -0500, M L Riechers wrote:

> Until the "soft-float" options work altogether properly for powerpc,
> which, it looks like at the very least waiting for gcc-3.3, I've
> adapted the floating point kernel emulation routines from Walnut.  It
> more or less works (shot 1 bug, diddled another, and at least 1 more
> identified but not located), but it's molasses slow. Ok, I understand
> that trips to the kernel are expensive.

I'm curious about this bit more than the generic gcc+FP issues.  I'm
using a "MKSOFTFLOAT=yes" built world on my walnut and haven't noticed
anything wrong in day-to-day usage.  Could you please give some details
on what bugs you've seen (and the fixes you have!), and also describe
``Until the "soft-float" options work altogether properly for powerpc''?

From a toolchain POV, the biggest problem is no way of identifying
soft-float objects from hard-float objects.  This pretty much
means that I've had to be careful with package builds, but keeping
"MKSOFTFLOAT=yes" in /etc/mk.conf helps.  This is something I keep
meaning to look at one day, but still haven't gotten around to.
The fact that there appears to be no powerpc elf supplement owner
didn't help :-(

Simon.
--
Simon Burge                                   <simonb@wasabisystems.com>
NetBSD Development, Support and Service:   http://www.wasabisystems.com/