[fpc-devel] LLVM Backend?

[Marco van de Voort]

In our previous episode, Jonas Maebe said:
 
> With an LLVM backend, there will obviously be a dependency on LLVM  
> (either as a library or as an installed tool chain) and hence on its  
> dependencies, but it would be nice if we could be compatible with as  
> many different LLVM releases as possible at the same time (so that  
> people having to stick to an older LLVM version for whatever reason  
> can upgrade FPC independently of that). In that respect, I don't know  
> to what extent the C++ interface of the LLVM code generator is more or  
> less stable than the assembler format (I know that the LLVM developers  
> reserve the right to break backwards compatibility in the assembler  
> format only when releasing new major versions).

Since LLVM is a specific codegen, there would be simply a bunch of
llvm-<arch> targets with each their own PPC binary? So only the LLVM ones
would be libc dependant.
 
> > Would it be too soon to announce that FPC will use LLVM in the  
> > future?  Reason:  If I can submit a patch directly to the LLVM  
> > repository for Borland fastcode calling convention on x86, I may be  
> > able to ask for help from the existing LLVM developers on their  
> > mailing list.

(This sounds a bit like FPC is going to use it exclusively? Maybe make
clear that that is not the case or plan?)