Process for proposing new C/C++ language extensions.

Process for proposing new C/C++ language extensions.

[johnchristian]

Can someone explain to me what the process is for adding extensions to the GNU implementation of the C/C++ preprocessor?

Re: Process for proposing new C/C++ language extensions.

[Basile STARYNKEVITCH]

johnchristian@smtp.brenneise.com wrote:
> Can someone explain to me what the process is for adding extensions to the GNU implementation of the C/C++ preprocessor?

I am guessing that you really mean to extend the C++ language, perhaps 
thru additional preprocessor constructs.

I am not sure to understand the details of the question.

Honestly, I would guess that few people care about extending C or C++. 
It seems even that the GCC community has become quite conservative w.r.t 
new language extensions.

I would imagine that the only way to convince people is to make a 
tentative implementation. So perhaps the standard answer would be to 
create your own branch of GCC. Maybe the coming soon (ie in gcc 4.5) 
plugin machinery should help (but I am not sure it is supporting plugin 
extension of the preprocessor yet).

So perhaps you might push - this takes time & effort - the necessary 
hooks for plugin extensions of libcpp [the preprocessor part of GCC] and 
illustrate them by your own plugin which would provide your extensions.

And very probably, discussing language extensions should not be done on 
any @gcc.gnu.org mailing list (but somewhere else). Once you have a 
specification, implementing it is another issue.

Maybe you should first try to make a detailed specification [not here, 
but on your own site] and discuss it elsewhere of the extensions you are 
dreaming of, and start asking here how to implement it.

Very probably, few people care inside the GCC community about language 
extensions (unless they are already discussed in formal language 
standard committees).

I personnally would be delighted if someone (perhaps you) made the 
effort to push into GCC the plugin hooks for preprocessing, and perhaps 
this sub-goal  could help your own goal of new preprocessor based 
language extensions.
But discussing language extensions [which have no specification yet] is 
probably outside the scope of any @gcc.gnu.org list.

Regards.
-- 
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