Re[2]: [avr-gcc-list] Re: GCC-AVR Update (20082003)

[Stephan Eisvogel]

On Friday, August 22, 2003, 2:18:04 PM, Brian Cuthie wrote:
> Does this release fix the problems with symbolic debugging using AVR
> Studio 4 and assembly language files?

Brian,

I  don't  know.  I'm not using AVR Studio, all I did was integrate the
latest  COFF  patch I could find into the latest released binutils. If
these  problems  persist  and you need them to be fixed, you could ask
the  creators of the COFF-patch if they are willing and able fix them.

Or  you  could  bug  your  Atmel  contacts to get ELF support into AVR
Studio.  They'd  need to clean-room implement that though, because all
ELF  code  in  binutils  and gcc is GPL'ed. My take on this is that is
never  going  to  happen,  because  IAR,  Atmel's  partner, is already
serving  this market and Atmel has no incentive to take customers away
from IAR into the open-source camp.

An  Atmel  engineer  here in Germany I spoke to on the phone yesterday
confirmed  that  gcc  indeed  is "a really nice compiler" for AVR. But
frankly  I  think  it  would take one order of magnitude less bugs and
maybe  a 1/3 or 1/2 cut in code size on gcc's part (impossible I know)
to  really start sucking away customers from IAR and stir things up at
Atmel.  With  regard  to  bugs I'm not so sure, but with code size I'd
have to quote grand ma: "Not gonna happen". ;)

Nice day,
Stephan