[comp.lang.c++] C++ on Mach: structs as function args?

woer@otter.hpl.hp.com (Ascan Woermann) (06/04/90)

I am running an experimental Mach system (4.3BSD compatible) on an 
HP 9000/s300 workstation. After some enquiries on how we might get C++ for 
this O.S./hardware configuration, we decided to port AT&T C++ 2.0 ourselves. 

However, according to the release notes for C++ 2.0, a prerequisite is a C
compiler and linker that support structures as legal arguments to functions
and as return values from functions, as well as supporting structure 
assignments. The current C compiler on our Mach system doesn't support these
requirements. Does anyone know to what extent AT&T's C++ 2.0 depends on 
these facilities and under what conditions we are likely to encounter problems.
Alternatively, does C++ 1.2 require this compiler support? 

Also, any alternative suggestions for how we might get C++ for this 
O.S./hardware combination, or how we might get/port a C compiler that supports 
these more recent C enhancements.

	Comments or thoughts appreciated,
		Ascan
	
	       ----------------------------------------
        Ascan Woermann
        Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, U.K.

        Email: 	woer@hplb.hpl.hp.com
		woer@hplb.hp.co.uk 

raeburn@athena.mit.edu (Ken Raeburn) (06/09/90)

In article <2620014@otter.hpl.hp.com>, woer@otter.hpl.hp.com (Ascan
Woermann) writes:
|> Also, any alternative suggestions for how we might get C++ for this 
|> O.S./hardware combination, or how we might get/port a C compiler that
supports 
|> these more recent C enhancements.

Try to get GNU CC from the Free Software Foundation running on your
system.  (Get it with anonymous FTP to prep.ai.mit.edu or some other
sites.)  I believe it supports the machine you specified, though you
may need to do a little work for OS compatibility.  Its demands on the
native compiler should be less than those of AT&T C++.

If you get gcc running, you can work on C++ 2.0, or you can build the
GNU C++ compiler, G++.  (Or both, if you want....)

-- Ken Raeburn
-- MIT Project Athena