71 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
71 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
@c Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
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@c 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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@c This is part of the GCC manual.
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@c For copying conditions, see the file gcc.texi.
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@node G++ and GCC
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@chapter Compile C, C++, Objective-C, Ada, Fortran, Java, or treelang
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@cindex Objective-C
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@cindex Fortran
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@cindex Java
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@cindex Ada
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@cindex treelang
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Several versions of the compiler (C, C++, Objective-C, Ada,
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Fortran, Java and treelang) are integrated; this is why we use the name
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``GNU Compiler Collection''. GCC can compile programs written in any of these
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languages. The Ada, Fortran, Java and treelang compilers are described in
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separate manuals.
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@cindex GCC
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``GCC'' is a common shorthand term for the GNU Compiler Collection. This is both
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the most general name for the compiler, and the name used when the
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emphasis is on compiling C programs (as the abbreviation formerly
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stood for ``GNU C Compiler'').
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@cindex C++
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@cindex G++
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When referring to C++ compilation, it is usual to call the compiler
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``G++''. Since there is only one compiler, it is also accurate to call
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it ``GCC'' no matter what the language context; however, the term
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``G++'' is more useful when the emphasis is on compiling C++ programs.
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@cindex Ada
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@cindex GNAT
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Similarly, when we talk about Ada compilation, we usually call the
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compiler ``GNAT'', for the same reasons.
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We use the name ``GCC'' to refer to the compilation system as a
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whole, and more specifically to the language-independent part of the
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compiler. For example, we refer to the optimization options as
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affecting the behavior of ``GCC'' or sometimes just ``the compiler''.
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Front ends for other languages, such as Mercury and Pascal exist but
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have not yet been integrated into GCC@. These front ends, like that for C++,
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are built in subdirectories of GCC and link to it. The result is an
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integrated compiler that can compile programs written in C, C++,
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Objective-C, or any of the languages for which you have installed front
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ends.
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In this manual, we only discuss the options for the C, Objective-C, and
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C++ compilers and those of the GCC core. Consult the documentation
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of the other front ends for the options to use when compiling programs
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written in other languages.
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@cindex compiler compared to C++ preprocessor
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@cindex intermediate C version, nonexistent
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@cindex C intermediate output, nonexistent
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G++ is a @emph{compiler}, not merely a preprocessor. G++ builds object
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code directly from your C++ program source. There is no intermediate C
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version of the program. (By contrast, for example, some other
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implementations use a program that generates a C program from your C++
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source.) Avoiding an intermediate C representation of the program means
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that you get better object code, and better debugging information. The
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GNU debugger, GDB, works with this information in the object code to
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give you comprehensive C++ source-level editing capabilities
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(@pxref{C,,C and C++,gdb.info, Debugging with GDB}).
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@c FIXME! Someone who knows something about Objective-C ought to put in
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@c a paragraph or two about it here, and move the index entry down when
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@c there is more to point to than the general mention in the 1st par.
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