Re: [RFC PATCH 21/23] powerpc64 is not necessarily BigEndian anymore! :)

[Ram Pai]

On Thu, Apr 03, 2014 at 09:42:54PM +0200, Vladimir 'φ-coder/phcoder' Serbinenko 
wrote:
> On 03.04.2014 21:26, Ram Pai wrote:
> >> > BOOTCFLAGS    := -Wall -Wundef -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs \
> >> >                  -fno-strict-aliasing -Os -msoft-float -pipe \
> >> >                  -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-builtin -fPIC -nostdinc \
> >> >                  -isystem $(shell $(CROSS32CC) -print-file-name=include) 
> >> > \
> >> >                  -mbig-endian
> > 
> > But that is different though.
> How so? It's exactly the same thing: compilation of standalone BE using
> LE compiler.
> Andrey found a very good argument. And if distro can't compile Linux,
> it's surely broken.
> Also powerpc64le is relatively new platform as far as distrros are
> concerned. I think if big distros show good example, other minor will
> follow, resulting in more comfortable environment rather than locking
> ourselves into uncomfortable environments.

Two things:

a) the cross-compilation on 64bit LE to 32bit-BE target has to be
        working and supported.
b) distros need to enable (a).

regarding (a) -- is not true currently and i am told that its not in their 
plans in
        the near future.

regarding (b) -- can't speak for all the major distros. But none have it 
currently.


> > Yes it is possible to cross compile for
> > any target on any arch.  But the key is that the environment needs to be
> > setup to do so.  
> > 
> > We are talking about generating crosscompiled grub boot loader by an
> > uninitiated/not-so-expert adminstrator.
> It probably amounts to adding -mbig-endian to TARGET_* and using right
> --target. Both of which can be automated in configure.ac rather than
> maintaining yet another port.

Yes, if (a) and (b) line up.

RP