[Bug target/113684] New: Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[Bug target/113684] New: Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[hjl.tools at gmail dot com]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

            Bug ID: 113684
           Summary: Cross compiler without assembler and linker should
                    assume that all assembler and linker features are
                    available
           Product: gcc
           Version: 14.0
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P3
         Component: target
          Assignee: unassigned at gcc dot gnu.org
          Reporter: hjl.tools at gmail dot com
  Target Milestone: ---

When configuring GCC with

--target=TARGET

to build a cross compiler to reproduce a compiler bug, as and collect have

ORIGINAL_AS_FOR_TARGET=""
ORIGINAL_LD_FOR_TARGET=""

As the result, many target features are disabled which makes it almost
impossible
to reproduce the bug.  When there are no as nor ld, the compiler build isn't
a working build.  In this case, configure can assume that all assembler and
linker features are available so that the partially built cross compiler can
be used to reproduce the bug.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

Andrew Pinski <pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Severity|normal                      |enhancement

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

Andrew Pinski <pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Keywords|                            |internal-improvement

--- Comment #1 from Andrew Pinski <pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org> ---
This usecase is only for GCC developers and it might even confuse regular users
of GCC ...

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[hjl.tools at gmail dot com]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

--- Comment #2 from H.J. Lu <hjl.tools at gmail dot com> ---
(In reply to Andrew Pinski from comment #1)
> This usecase is only for GCC developers and it might even confuse regular
> users of GCC ...

True, such cross compilers are only for GCC developers. Regular won't run
into it.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[rguenth at gcc dot gnu.org]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

--- Comment #3 from Richard Biener <rguenth at gcc dot gnu.org> ---
I'm usually having cross assembler/linker around as they are easy to build.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[hjl.tools at gmail dot com]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

H.J. Lu <hjl.tools at gmail dot com> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|UNCONFIRMED                 |NEW
   Last reconfirmed|                            |2024-02-01
     Ever confirmed|0                           |1

--- Comment #4 from H.J. Lu <hjl.tools at gmail dot com> ---
(In reply to Richard Biener from comment #3)
> I'm usually having cross assembler/linker around as they are easy to build.

Not every developer keeps the latest cross assembler for all targets GCC
supports.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[jakub at gcc dot gnu.org]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

Jakub Jelinek <jakub at gcc dot gnu.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 CC|                            |jakub at gcc dot gnu.org

--- Comment #5 from Jakub Jelinek <jakub at gcc dot gnu.org> ---
I'm not sure it is a good idea to essentially say yes on all gas or linker
tests without actually undestanding what those tests do.  Because not all tests
are supposed to pass on latest binutils, some are supposed to pass only on some
targets and not on others, some could be checking for older bugs, etc.
Now, I believe for linker tests we for the in tree case we have hardcoded what
versions support certain features, so perhaps the no linker case could be
handled similarly (and perhaps let the user even specific the ld date/version
to be assumed).
Assembler tests are done always even with in-tree builds though, so I think
we'd need to amend them since which version something works, on which target
etc.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[hjl.tools at gmail dot com]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

--- Comment #6 from H.J. Lu <hjl.tools at gmail dot com> ---
Should there be configure options, like

--with-working-gnu-as
--with-working-gnu-ld

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[jakub at gcc dot gnu.org]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

--- Comment #7 from Jakub Jelinek <jakub at gcc dot gnu.org> ---
That is fuzzy, because working as or ld can mean a lot of things.  Latest
binutils as/ld can be working, or 5 or 7 years old binutils as well.  So what
exactly we mean by that.

[Bug target/113684] Cross compiler without assembler and linker should assume that all assembler and linker features are available

[hjl.tools at gmail dot com]

https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113684

--- Comment #8 from H.J. Lu <hjl.tools at gmail dot com> ---
(In reply to Jakub Jelinek from comment #7)
> That is fuzzy, because working as or ld can mean a lot of things.  Latest
> binutils as/ld can be working, or 5 or 7 years old binutils as well.  So
> what exactly we mean by that.

--with-current-gnu-as
--with-current-gnu-ld