[cfe-dev] RFC: A proposal to move toward using C++11 features in LLVM & Clang / bounding support for old host compilers

[Nathan Ridge]

>> It is special, sadly, and I'm not talking about C++11 support only, but
>> about the policies MS follows which too often makes very inconvenient
>> (or even impossible) to upgrade to newer VS versions. The latest example
>> that comes to mind was the release of VS2012: they removed Windows XP
>> support, as if upgrading the OS is a non-issue if you ask for it to your
>> users on a polite tone. An uproar followed and they backpedaled on a
>> service pack some months later, but that not always happens.
>
> I might be mistaken, but to compile for WinXP on VS 2012 you have to switch the Platform Toolset and AFAICT that means it will essentially be using the VS 2010 compiler and libraries. So when it comes to using newer C++ functionality you will still be stuck on the VS 2010 level even if you are using VS 2012 and if you are using any VS2012 improvements you will not be able to compile for XP.
>
> Basically (again: AFAICT): if you want clang to be compiled for WinXP using VS, the C++ features of VS 2010 are a hard limit and that will not change.

A different issue than what VS 2012 can _target_, is what VS 2012 can
_run on_: it cannot run on Windows XP.

Say what you want about how old Windows XP is and how close it is to
being end-of-life'd by Microsoft, at the end of the day it still
commands one third (!) of all desktop operating system market share [1].

So, by dropping support for VS 2010, you will be making any developer
who uses Windows XP - potentially a large number of developers given
Windows XP's still huge market share - unable to build clang.

Regards,
Nate

[1] http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0