RE: [cdt-dev] Mixed C/C++ in MBS

[Doug Schaefer <DSchaefer@xxxxxxx>]

1.  Do you always want to compile source with C extensions with the C
compiler and sources with C++ extensions with the C++ compiler?

[D] Yes. g++ calls the gcc C compiler when it sees a C file anyway.

2.  What about the linker to use?  With mixed C/C++ is it always the C++
linker?

[D] Yes. For now the linker needs to stay as it is. Some have argued that we
should not be using the nature for this but rather a build setting, but I'm
not sure if that makes things better or just different...

3.  Doug suggests that we make the C compiler "active" in a C++ project - I
assume you mean the reference Gnu tool-chains?  There is nothing stopping
anyone from doing that in their own tool-chain.

[D] Of course. The setting I am talking about is on the gnu C compiler
definition. I am not proposing that we get rid of nature handling for tools.

4.  What about Pete's scenario below?  If the user has only C sources and
selects a C project, but is using one or more C++ libraries, will the C
linker work?  If not, what can we do about this case?

[D] The C linker should work in this case. I assume that the C++ code is
wrapped with C code to provide an interface for it to be called by other C
code. Actually you can use the C linker to link C++ code as long as you have
the correct libraries on the link line (libstdc++ for example). For that
matter, linking is inherently language independent, especially if you use ld
as the linker, which is what gcc and g++ call anyway.

[D] To summarize, my proposal is to change the nature of the gnu C compiler
to be both and to change the order of the tools listed in the gnu configs to
list the C++ compiler first. That's all.

Thanks,
Doug