Re: New back end ia16: 16-bit Intel x86

[Rask Ingemann Lambertsen <rask@sygehus.dk>]

On Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 08:01:01PM -0400, Ross Ridge wrote:
> Rask Ingemann Lambertsen writes:
> > This is a patch set to add a new back end for 16-bit x86 CPUs. 
> 
> Umm... is "ia16" the best name for this target?

   It is the best I can think of. Probably my preference was for x86-16, but
that's not possible (see below). With IA-32 and IA-64 being well
established, I think IA-16 is a good choice because it conveys the
information that it's Intel's 16-bit architecture.

> According to Intel, processors like the 8086 and 80286 are part of the IA-32
> architecture and there is no IA-16.

   Interesting idea. There was no IA-32 until the 80386 appeared.
Unsurpricingly, there is also no mention of IA-32 in the Intel 80186
documentation. The "32" in "IA-32" of course refers to the fact that it is a
32-bit architecture, unlike the previous members of the x86 family.

> I think a more accurate name would be something like
> "i386-16" since the new target is really just a 16-bit variation of what
> GCC calls the i386 architecture.

   The "i386" name was a mistake and should not be repeated (so "i8086" is
out as well). I'm sure that dashes in the back end name will be rejected.
Consider the s/x86-64/x86_64/h mess.

-- 
Rask Ingemann Lambertsen