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

[Nathan Ridge]

>> 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. 
>  
> I don't see any reason to believe that developers are evenly  
> distributed across the market of desktops, much less LLVM developers. 

Nor do I. But one third of the market is a *lot*, and even if developers
are a lot more likely to use newer operating system than your average
user, that's still potentially a lot of developers.

> I also have heard no LLVM developers jump and down saying this would  
> block them from using LLVM, so I don't think is an actual concern.

I am a potential LLVM developer, and it would block me.

Regards,
Nate