GCC 9 Drops Support For Older ARM Microarchitecture Versions

[phoronix]

Phoronix: GCC 9 Drops Support For Older ARM Microarchitecture Versions

Next year's GCC 9 compiler release will be eliminating support for older ARM versions...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GCC-9-Dropping-Older-ARM

[benjamin545]

Doesn't debian still support just armv5 with their armel arch. How will this effect debian arm releases?

[discordian]

Doesn't debian still support just armv5 with their armel arch. How will this effect debian arm releases?

They will switch to armv5te, if they haven't already. armv5te variants are still sold today.

[starshipeleven]

They will switch to armv5te, if they haven't already. armv5te variants are still sold today.

For those wondering, the Kirkwood SoC (main if not only reason armel still exists in Debian) is ARMv5te, as is OluXino with a freescale processor, and devices with Marvell Armada 300 and 310.

I think also Orion SoC is ARMv5te as it is still using the same Feroceon cores as Kirkwood, but that thing is ancient anyway.

I'm not aware of any SoC capable of running modern Linux that would be affected by this decision.

[discordian]

For those wondering, the Kirkwood SoC (main if not only reason armel still exists in Debian) is ARMv5te, as is OluXino with a freescale processor, and devices with Marvell Armada 300 and 310.

I think also Orion SoC is ARMv5te as it is still using the same Feroceon cores as Kirkwood, but that thing is ancient anyway.

I'm not aware of any SoC capable of running modern Linux that would be affected by this decision.

i.mx 28? Of course depends on what you mean with "modern" linux, if you mean compositor UIs then yes,
but that CPU is used in automation and automotive where this is no concern and there is no difference to "ancient" linux.

[czyc]

i.mx 28?

is armv5te. The number of actual cpu cores affected by this is tiny.

[starshipeleven]

i.mx 28?

The OluXino is using a i.mx 233, btw.

Looking up the i.mx 28 family it says "ARM9", which in ARM-speak can be both ARMv4 or ARMv5te architecture, but looking at the cores used in these SoCs https://www.nxp.com/products/process...9-core:i.MX280 I get ARM926EJ-S which is an ARMv5tej architecture.

So it is still supported.

God I love ARM versioning names, it's all so crystal clear and not confusing at all, totally useful.

Of course depends on what you mean with "modern" linux, if you mean compositor UIs then yes,
but that CPU is used in automation and automotive where this is no concern and there is no difference to "ancient" linux.

I mean using linux kernel versions that are somewhere above the usual industry-standard 2.6.something, as if a compiler drops support for an architecture then you can't compile the kernel anymore with it, and as time goes on the Linux kernel drops support for older compiler versions.

Again it's irrelevant for most embedded usage, as you compile whatever old Linux version you have with whatever old version of toolchain you get in the SDK and call it a day.

[starshipeleven]

unapproved post for discordian above

[starshipeleven]

I see a world coming where LLVM claims to support more targets than gcc

Fixed.
Because bitrot is a thing. If something isn't used and maintained it will likely not really work 5 years later after all the evolution of the rest of the project.

It's not the first time that projects drop support for some architecture or feature that was broken for half a decade or more, and none noticed. That's dead code right there.

[discordian]

The OluXino is using a i.mx 233, btw.

Looking up the i.mx 28 family it says "ARM9", which in ARM-speak can be both ARMv4 or ARMv5te architecture, but looking at the cores used in these SoCs https://www.nxp.com/products/process...9-core:i.MX280 I get ARM926EJ-S which is an ARMv5tej architecture.

So it is still supported.

You tell me, I got to support this junk =)

I have misread your post, thought you meant there arent any ARMv5te used anymore.
[/QUOTE]
God I love ARM versioning names, it's all so crystal clear and not confusing at all, totally useful.

No shit. Try telling one you need to support ARM 9 which has nothing to do ARM Cortex A9.

I mean using linux kernel versions that are somewhere above the usual industry-standard 2.6.something, as if a compiler drops support for an architecture then you can't compile the kernel anymore with it, and as time goes on the Linux kernel drops support for older compiler versions.

Again it's irrelevant for most embedded usage, as you compile whatever old Linux version you have with whatever old version of toolchain you get in the SDK and call it a day.

You can also compile a new kernel with an old toolchain - Does work unless Linux itself killed off support.