public inbox for gcc-bugs@sourceware.org
help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: "adrelanos at whonix dot org" <gcc-bugzilla@gcc.gnu.org>
To: gcc-bugs@gcc.gnu.org
Subject: [Bug c/99900] New: feature request: 16-bit x86 C compiler / support compilation of (VirtualBox) BIOS
Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2021 20:14:48 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <bug-99900-4@http.gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/> (raw)
https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=99900
Bug ID: 99900
Summary: feature request: 16-bit x86 C compiler / support
compilation of (VirtualBox) BIOS
Product: gcc
Version: unknown
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: P3
Component: c
Assignee: unassigned at gcc dot gnu.org
Reporter: adrelanos at whonix dot org
Target Milestone: ---
"Oracle VM VirtualBox, the world's most popular open source, cross-platform,
virtualization software"
According to the VirtualBox developers it is not possible to build the
VirtualBox BIOS with gcc or any other Free Software compiler.
Quote VirtualBox developer https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/12011
"We would be glad to fix this, but we lack the resources to do so as our BIOS
code has simply outgrown what bcc (which we were using before and which was
always very limiting) can do. We have failed to find another free 16-bit x86 C
compiler up to the job,"
"generating 16-bit code is one thing, but supporting e.g. far/near pointers"
It is currently compiled using the Open Watcom compiler which is under the
Sybase Open Watcom Public License license. That license is not FSF approved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybase_Open_Watcom_Public_License
Even stated it being a nonfree license.
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#Watcom
The VirtualBox BIOS source code can be found here:
* https://www.virtualbox.org/browser/vbox/trunk/src/VBox/Devices/PC/BIOS
* https://github.com/mirror/vbox/tree/master/src/VBox/Devices/PC/BIOS
feature request: Could you please develop a 16-bit x86 C compiler that supports
compilation of VirtualBox BIOS / any BIOS?
next reply other threads:[~2021-04-03 20:14 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 9+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2021-04-03 20:14 adrelanos at whonix dot org [this message]
2021-04-03 20:29 ` [Bug target/99900] " pinskia at gcc dot gnu.org
2021-04-04 10:58 ` adrelanos at whonix dot org
2021-04-06 23:11 ` joseph at codesourcery dot com
2021-04-07 5:39 ` egallager at gcc dot gnu.org
2021-04-08 14:37 ` u1049321969 at caramail dot com
2021-04-08 14:44 ` u1049321969 at caramail dot com
2021-04-08 18:01 ` u1049321969 at caramail dot com
2021-04-09 14:34 ` u1049321969 at caramail dot com
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=bug-99900-4@http.gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/ \
--to=gcc-bugzilla@gcc.gnu.org \
--cc=gcc-bugs@gcc.gnu.org \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox;
as well as URLs for read-only IMAP folder(s) and NNTP newsgroup(s).