User Comments on GNU Software Development System

[John Willis]

>From several articles on comp.unix.i386, a reader might conclude that
the software development tools available from the Free Software 
Foundation (GNU) are:
 
	(1)	Hard to install
	(2)	Less reliable than commercial tools
	(3)	Poorly documented
	(4)	Constrain re-release of code developed under them

Based on experience developing a parallelizing compiler for several
complex hardware description languages running on 80386, 68020, and
SPARC hosts, I believe that NONE of these conclusions are supportable.

I use FLEX, Bison, GCC, G++, Libg++, GDB, EMACS, GAS, and binutils.
The compiler I am developing, 50K+ lines of source code, stresses each
of these tools.

	(1)	With any recent release of these tools, I have never
		spent more than about 3 hours of background processing
		to install an upgrade.  Other people have invested
		enough effort that upgrades are almost as easy as
		installing vendor packages.  Once you have the full
		set of tools, there should be no black magic: you have
		source code as well as an email connection to the code
		author.

	(2)	I am using each of these tools to do things that I
		CAN'T effectively do with commercial tools.  I have
		never found a show-stopper in a new release, although
		I do keep a copy of the old release until I'm very
		confident.  Turn-around on fixes is often days, in
		the few cases when they matter.  Fixes for most of
		the tools are at the level of better diagnostics.

	(3)	GNU prose documentation is generally very complete,
		running 100+ pages for "products" such as GCC.  If
		you need to know more, read the source.  This is
		much easier than spending hours and lots of dollars
		on telephone calls or reading binary dissassembly
		of striped code.

	(4)	I am almost certain that code compiled USING these
		tools is not constrained in any way by the GNU
		public license.  If you incorporate substantial
		code provided by the Free Software Foundation, such
		as a library, then the terms do apply.  However from
		a reasonable person viewpoint, perhaps you might
		consider repaying the favor GNU has done for you
		by following the GNU philosophy where possible.

GNU tools are a real bargain: I believe that you really get much more
than you "pay" for.  Please consider encouraging the Free Software
Foundation's efforts with a financial donation.  I have no affiliation
with them except as a VERY satisfied user.

On a related note, I've had almost the same very positive experiences
with Everex hardware.  Half a dozen peripherals have come up without
trouble and run for years.  When I've tried to diagnose a system
problem, the telephone hotline people really go out of their way to
help.  They've never failed to return a call when they said they would
or failed to follow up on some really bizarre requests that go beyond
normal usage.  If this tradition follows with the ESIX people, we all
ought to buy stock in Everex.

I'll be glad to complain long and loud if someone really fouls up, but
both of these organizations deserve all the praise and encouragement
we can offer.

-John