[LLVMdev] Removal of IA-64 target

[Chris Lattner]

On Jul 16, 2009, at 2:30 PM, Marcel Moolenaar wrote:

>
> BTW: I don't run Linux at all, so no Linux/ia64 support.
> I can see how that could be a problem for people.
>
> Anyway: my case is a weak one and I would understand if the
> target get axed without considering my email/request...

Hi Marcel,

There are two levels of problems with the IA64 backend.  On the first  
level, it has not been maintained for a long time, and isn't able to  
compile hello world to a working app.  This is a pretty bad state.  On  
the second level, it will take a significant amount of work to make it  
produce code that is actually *fast* for itanium, because of the  
advanced architectural features of the chip.

For us to keep IA64 around (and for it to be minimally useful for your  
work!), I think that the backend should pass most of the simple  
programs in MultiSource/Benchmarks for example.  It does *not* need to  
produce amazingly fast code, but the code needs to work.  I don't know  
how much performance on IA64 is important to you guys, if GCC is  
currently acceptable, then probably don't have that high of a  
performance bar.

Another question is: who is really interested in FreeBSD/ia64?  Is HP  
(for example) contributing to this work?  If so, perhaps you could  
find help in one of the itanium-friendly companies.

-Chris