Re: [PATCH] wanxl: use m68k-linux-gnu-as if available

[Adam Borowski <kilobyte@angband.pl>]

On Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 07:25:17PM +0200, Krzysztof Halasa wrote:
> David Miller <davem@davemloft.net> writes:
> 
> > We don't even know if whatever "as68k" is would be the same thing
> > as GNU as and generate the same binaries.
> 
> It's GNU as, likewise ld68k, though I have no idea if recent versions
> would compile/link the firmware (correctly). This is 15+ years old.

Thus, we know that:

* this patch can't possibly make things worse: it merely makes compilation
  succeed on systems (like Debian + derivatives) that name m68k GNU as
  m68k-linux-gnu-as rather than as68k

* modern versions of "rose by any other name" (GNU as + ld) produce an
  output that's not byte-to-byte identical.  This would be understandable
  for a compiler, spells trouble for an assembler.  It's possible the modern
  interpretation is still valid, but if it's not, the current rule to
  rebuild the firmware has bitrotten (needs to pass some options to as?)

> I don't have opinion on the patch.

Do you still have access to such hardware?  Could you test it?

Because two scenarios are possible:
*) the build still works (in which case my patch fixes randconfigs on
   Debian)
*) it does not, and you have no resources to fix it.  In which case, it
   would be better to disable the automatic rule and add a comment "to
   build this firmware, dig an ancient version of as+ld".  Or perhaps
   remove this driver as unmaintaineable.


Meow!
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