Re: [MiNT] SV: Some mintlib patches

[Henk Robbers <h.robbers@chello.nl>]

I would like to add a few considerations.

In my opinion it is not such a good idee to link the
floating point capabilities to the processor type.

Think of the MC68ECxxx variants.

A compiler should generate entirely software or entirely
line F for floating point.

Programs that use entirely software FP run also on
machines that have a FPU or line F emulator.
(As Jo Even mentioned on already many times faster
machines nowadays)

If GCC software FP libraries are so good, put these
in the emulator, not in the programs. :-)

Leave it to the user to load the approppriate emulator
on their machines.

Exemple:

In my 68000 sits a memory mapped 68881.
I didnt fancy maintaining 2 versions of my programs, so I
wrote a line F emulator that translates line F instructions
to approppriate memory accesses. It is not blazingly fast,
but it is still faster than library routines.

Even for 68000 users the separation of CPU and FPU
options is of interest.

When so much work is put in GCC for atari_mint,
it might be an idee to create a --line_F option in GCC.

--
Groeten; Regards.
Henk Robbers. http://members.chello.nl/h.robbers
Interactive disassembler:     TT-Digger;  http://digger.atari.org
A Home Cooked teXt editor:    AHCX