Difference between revisions of "LDC"

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== Getting started ==
 
== Getting started ==
* [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/releases Latest binary releases] and [http://forum.dlang.org/post/yefpjkfouykvwkjiltxj@forum.dlang.org related forum thread]
+
* '''[https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/tags Download an official release]''' or the '''[https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/releases/tag/CI latest CI build]''', incl. prebuilt binaries for Linux/OSX/Windows.
 
* [[Building LDC from source]]
 
* [[Building LDC from source]]
 
* [[Building LDC on MinGW x86]]
 
* [[Building LDC on MinGW x86]]
 
* [[Building and hacking LDC on Windows using MSVC]]
 
* [[Building and hacking LDC on Windows using MSVC]]
 +
* [[Installing LDC on FreeBSD]]
 
* [[Installing LDC on Gentoo]] - [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Dlang Official Dlang Gentoo overlay]
 
* [[Installing LDC on Gentoo]] - [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Dlang Official Dlang Gentoo overlay]
 +
* [[Installing LDC on GNU Guix]]
 
* [[Using LDC]] ([[LDC-specific language changes]] — [[LDC inline assembly expressions]] — [[LDC inline IR]])
 
* [[Using LDC]] ([[LDC-specific language changes]] — [[LDC inline assembly expressions]] — [[LDC inline IR]])
 +
* [[Generating WebAssembly with LDC]]
 
* [[Reporting LDC issues]] — [[LDC contributor's guide]]
 
* [[Reporting LDC issues]] — [[LDC contributor's guide]]
  
 
== Project status ==
 
== Project status ==
In general, LDC should ''work fine on most x86/x86-64 Unix-like systems'', including Linux, OS X 10.7+ and most BSD flavors. Code generation should work for other platforms supported by the LLVM MC codegen infrastructure (for example ARM), but druntime/Phobos support will most likely be lacking.
+
In general, LDC should work fine on most '''x86/x86_64''' systems, including '''Windows''', '''Linux''', '''OS X 10.7+''', '''Solaris''' and most '''BSD''' flavors. Code generation should work for other platforms supported by the LLVM MC codegen infrastructure (for example, ARM or PowerPC), but druntime/Phobos support is sometimes lacking.
  
=== x86 Windows using MinGW ===
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=== MinGW ===
 
+
x86 MinGW support was almost complete at one stage, but got neglected in favor of 'native' MSVC targets on Windows.
* LDC 2 from Git master compiles and builds druntime/Phobos, but requires recent MinGW and LLVM versions for a few critical bug fixes. See [[Building LDC on MinGW x86]].
+
A manageable number of adaptations (mainly in druntime) would probably suffice to support it again.
* Most programs work just fine (including TLS and exception handling).
 
* A small number of remaining test cases still fails, but many of the harder issues (<tt>real</tt> math precision, MS C runtime-caused problems, ABI differences) have already been solved.
 
* Estimate for making Windows x86/MinGW a »first class« target: 1 weekend of focused work, plus a Windows CI slave.
 
 
 
=== x86-64 Windows using MSVC ===
 
 
 
* LDC2 from master branch compiles cleanly.
 
* LLVM 3.6 (current trunk) is required.
 
* See [[Building and hacking LDC on Windows using MSVC]] for detailed instructions.
 
* There are no compile issues in druntime and phobos.
 
* Several unit tests still fail: https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/issues/758
 
* Contact: kai@redstar.de
 
  
 
=== OS X ===
 
=== OS X ===
 
* OS X version prior to 10.7 (Lion) are not supported in D2, because LLVM's thread-local storage support depends on functionality introduced in 10.7.
 
* OS X version prior to 10.7 (Lion) are not supported in D2, because LLVM's thread-local storage support depends on functionality introduced in 10.7.
 
* homebrew users can install ldc with <tt>brew install ldc</tt> for the latest stable release or <tt>brew install ldc --devel</tt> for the latest beta / release candidate.
 
* homebrew users can install ldc with <tt>brew install ldc</tt> for the latest stable release or <tt>brew install ldc --devel</tt> for the latest beta / release candidate.
 +
 +
=== Android ===
 +
* [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/releases/tag/v1.4.0 Cross-compilation support for 32-bit ARM was added with the 1.4 release] and [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/releases/tag/v1.11.0 64-bit ARM support with the 1.11 release]: [[Build D for Android|instructions on setup and building simple apps are available]].
 +
* [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/issues/2153 A handful of stdlib tests still fail on 64-bit ARM, AArch64], the other Android CPU architectures may be supported one day.
  
 
=== ARM ===
 
=== ARM ===
  
* LDC from Git master is able to build a working Phobos "Hello World" application.
+
* Get a native ARM GNU/Linux compiler from [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/releases the official release page].
* LLVM 3.4 is required, there are many known bugs affecting ARM in older versions.
+
* LDC from Git branch ltsmaster passes most tests in the test suite (no failure on ARMv7 with NEON, one failure on ARMv7 w/o NEON), similar results with the master branch too.
* EH support is still broken, and there are many other severe bugs: https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/issues?labels=B-arm&state=open
 
* Android has not been tested yet and most likely does not even compile.
 
 
* LDC has successfully been used to create a minimal free-standing ARM Cortex-M binary, see [[Minimal semihosted ARM Cortex-M %22Hello_World%22]].
 
* LDC has successfully been used to create a minimal free-standing ARM Cortex-M binary, see [[Minimal semihosted ARM Cortex-M %22Hello_World%22]].
 +
* You can use [[Building LDC runtime libraries|the new runtime cross-compilation tool]] to cross-compile also.
  
 
=== AArch64 ===
 
=== AArch64 ===
  
* LDC from Git branch merge-2.067 is able to build a working Druntime "Hello World" application.
+
* Both ltsmaster and master git branches are mostly working. Small pieces of the runtime still need to be ported, such as <tt>core.stdc.stdarg.va_arg</tt>. See [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/issues/2153 tracker issue] and [https://app.shippable.com/github/ldc-developers/ldc/dashboard latest CI logs] for current status.
* LLVM 3.6 is required, there are many known bugs affecting AArch64 in older versions.
+
* Complete test suite can be run but still has failures, unoptimized codegen isn't currently working.
* All Druntime unit tests pass! There is still an issue with core.stdc.stdarg which prevents successful compilation of Phobos.
 
  
 
=== iOS (iPhone OS) ===
 
=== iOS (iPhone OS) ===
  
* Compiling D code targeting iOS is possible now, but it is experimental and not part of LDC main.
+
* Compiling D code for iOS is possible now, but it is experimental and not part of LDC main. The person who ported it is too busy, so it hasn't been updated in a couple years. Help is welcome.
 
* Full druntime/phobos support
 
* Full druntime/phobos support
* Only supports armv7.
+
* Supports 32/64-bit ARM devices and iOS Simulator
 
* See https://github.com/smolt/ldc-iphone-dev. The README.md explains what is available and what is missing.
 
* See https://github.com/smolt/ldc-iphone-dev. The README.md explains what is available and what is missing.
 +
* Releases available: https://github.com/smolt/ldc-iphone-dev/releases
  
 
=== PowerPC 32-bit ===
 
=== PowerPC 32-bit ===
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=== PowerPC 64-bit Big Endian and Little Endian ===
 
=== PowerPC 64-bit Big Endian and Little Endian ===
  
* PPPC64 Big Endian requires at least LLVM 3.4. PPC64 Little Endian requires at least LLVM 3.5. Both are affected by [http://llvm.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=21443 PR21443].
+
* PPC64 Big Endian requires at least LLVM 3.4. PPC64 Little Endian requires at least LLVM 3.5. Both are affected by [http://llvm.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=21443 PR21443].
 
* Only Linux because LLVM does not cleanly compile on AIX.
 
* Only Linux because LLVM does not cleanly compile on AIX.
 
* Code generation is known to work.
 
* Code generation is known to work.
 
* There are no compile issues in druntime and phobos.
 
* There are no compile issues in druntime and phobos.
 
* There are still some test failures. Most of the failures are related to math precision (e.g. unit test expects 80bit reals)
 
* There are still some test failures. Most of the failures are related to math precision (e.g. unit test expects 80bit reals)
 +
* See [https://github.com/ldc-developers/ldc/issues/1313 issue #1313] for test failures on PPC64 Little Endian
 
* Linux/PPC64 specific implementations are missing: core.cpuid, std.internal.math.bigintppc64, ...
 
* Linux/PPC64 specific implementations are missing: core.cpuid, std.internal.math.bigintppc64, ...
 
* Multi-lib build is possible on Linux/PPC64 Big Endian.
 
* Multi-lib build is possible on Linux/PPC64 Big Endian.
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=== MIPS64 ===
 
=== MIPS64 ===
  
* Requires at least LLVM 3.5.
+
* Requires at least LLVM 3.6, LLVM 3.7 preferred.
* LDC compiles cleanly but there are some issues in phobos.
+
* LDC and druntime compile cleanly but there are some issues in phobos with std.math.
* Known failures with LLVM 3.7: std.math (SROA assert, optimization only), std.format (assert, vararg related), std.bitmap (assert in SelectionDAG), ...
+
* There seems to be an issue with ld and the integrated assembler: ld segfaults with binaries generated by ldc.
* Current target is N64 ABI.
+
* Known failures with LLVM 3.7: std.math (SROA assert, optimization only), std.bitmanip (assert in SelectionDAG), ...
 +
* Current target is N32/N64 ABI.
 
* Contact: kai@redstar.de
 
* Contact: kai@redstar.de
  
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LDC is an entirely community-driven effort, so all contributions are warmly welcomed. The easiest way to help with development is to write high-quality '''bug reports''' for any issues you run into. For a quick guide on what a useful report should contain, please see [[Reporting LDC issues]].
 
LDC is an entirely community-driven effort, so all contributions are warmly welcomed. The easiest way to help with development is to write high-quality '''bug reports''' for any issues you run into. For a quick guide on what a useful report should contain, please see [[Reporting LDC issues]].
  
If you are interested in getting into compiler development, anecdotal evidence suggests that hacking on LDC might be a nice first step, particularly because the LLVM backend is very comfortable to work with. To get started, just browse through the issue list, find a ticket that tickles your fancy (some of them are specifically marked as "junior jobs"), and work on a fix – and of course don't hesitate to ask for advice at the mailing list or on IRC. An '''[[LDC contributor's guide]]''' is in the works.
+
If you are interested in getting into compiler development, anecdotal evidence suggests that hacking on LDC might be a nice first step, particularly because the LLVM backend is very comfortable to work with. To get started, just browse through the issue list, find a ticket that tickles your fancy (some of them are specifically marked as "junior jobs"), and work on a fix – and of course don't hesitate to ask for advice at the mailing list or on IRC. An '''[[LDC_contributor's_guide|LDC contributor's guide]]''' is in the works. Have a look at [[LDC project ideas]] for a list of features/improvements to add to LDC.
  
 
We would also be excited to see LDC '''packages''' in more OS distributions, particular Debian and its derivatives. So, if you think you might be able to help, please just drop us a line at the development mailing list. We will actively try to make packaging as smooth as possible, but besides the fact that upstream-maintained packages are sometimes discouraged, it is hard to build good packages for a system you don't know well, so we need to rely on external contributors here.
 
We would also be excited to see LDC '''packages''' in more OS distributions, particular Debian and its derivatives. So, if you think you might be able to help, please just drop us a line at the development mailing list. We will actively try to make packaging as smooth as possible, but besides the fact that upstream-maintained packages are sometimes discouraged, it is hard to build good packages for a system you don't know well, so we need to rely on external contributors here.
 +
 +
== Presentations ==
 +
 +
LDC is an active project and the team promotes the use of D and LDC.
 +
 +
* David's [http://dconf.org/2013/talks/nadlinger.html talk about LDC] at [http://dconf.org/2013/index.html DConf 2013]: [http://dconf.org/2013/talks/nadlinger.pdf Slides] [http://archive.org/details/dconf2013-day03-talk04 Video HD] [http://youtube.com/watch?v=ntdKZWSiJdY Video SD]
 +
* Kai's [https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/ldccompiler/ talk about LDC] in the [https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/track/llvm/ LLVM devroom] at [https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/ FOSDEM'14]: [https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/ldccompiler/attachments/slides/365/export/events/attachments/ldccompiler/slides/365/FOSDEM_2014.pptx Slides (PPTX)] [https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/ldccompiler/attachments/slides/366/export/events/attachments/ldccompiler/slides/366/FOSDEM_2014.pdf Slides (PDF)] [http://video.fosdem.org/2014/K4401/Sunday/LDC_the_LLVMbased_D_compiler.webm Video]
 +
* Kai's [https://archive.fosdem.org/2015/schedule/event/llvm_internal_asm/ talk about the LLVM assembler] in the [https://archive.fosdem.org/2015/schedule/track/llvm_toolchain/ LLVM toolchain devroom] at [https://archive.fosdem.org/2015/ FOSDEM'15]: [https://archive.fosdem.org/2015/schedule/event/llvm_internal_asm/attachments/slides/711/export/events/attachments/llvm_internal_asm/slides/711/Nacke_Extending_Assembler.pdf Slides] [http://video.fosdem.org/2015/devroom-llvm_toolchain/internal_asm__CAM_ONLY_PARTIAL_AUDIO.mp4 Video]
 +
* David's [http://dconf.org/2015/talks/nadlinger.html talk about DRuntime] at [http://dconf.org/2015/index.html DConf 2015]: [http://dconf.org/2015/talks/nadlinger.pdf Slides] [http://dconf.org/2015/talks/nadlinger.html Video HD] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRmfoKxMCE Video SD]
  
 
== Useful Links ==
 
== Useful Links ==

Revision as of 06:51, 27 August 2018

Compilers: OverviewDMDGDCLDC

The LDC project aims to provide a portable D programming language compiler with modern optimization and code generation capabilities. The compiler uses the official DMD frontend to support the latest D2 version and relies on the LLVM Core libraries for code generation.

LDC is fully Open Source; the parts of the code not taken/adapted from other projects are BSD-licensed (see the LICENSE file for details).

D1 is no longer supported in the current development tree; the last version supporting it can be found at the d1 Git branch.

Getting started

Project status

In general, LDC should work fine on most x86/x86_64 systems, including Windows, Linux, OS X 10.7+, Solaris and most BSD flavors. Code generation should work for other platforms supported by the LLVM MC codegen infrastructure (for example, ARM or PowerPC), but druntime/Phobos support is sometimes lacking.

MinGW

x86 MinGW support was almost complete at one stage, but got neglected in favor of 'native' MSVC targets on Windows. A manageable number of adaptations (mainly in druntime) would probably suffice to support it again.

OS X

  • OS X version prior to 10.7 (Lion) are not supported in D2, because LLVM's thread-local storage support depends on functionality introduced in 10.7.
  • homebrew users can install ldc with brew install ldc for the latest stable release or brew install ldc --devel for the latest beta / release candidate.

Android

ARM

AArch64

  • Both ltsmaster and master git branches are mostly working. Small pieces of the runtime still need to be ported, such as core.stdc.stdarg.va_arg. See tracker issue and latest CI logs for current status.
  • Complete test suite can be run but still has failures, unoptimized codegen isn't currently working.

iOS (iPhone OS)

  • Compiling D code for iOS is possible now, but it is experimental and not part of LDC main. The person who ported it is too busy, so it hasn't been updated in a couple years. Help is welcome.
  • Full druntime/phobos support
  • Supports 32/64-bit ARM devices and iOS Simulator
  • See https://github.com/smolt/ldc-iphone-dev. The README.md explains what is available and what is missing.
  • Releases available: https://github.com/smolt/ldc-iphone-dev/releases

PowerPC 32-bit

  • Requires at least LLVM 3.4 because of PR16556
  • TLS support only for LocalExec model, see PR16555
  • Code generation is known to work.
  • There are no compile issues in druntime and phobos.
  • Linux/PPC32 specific implementations are missing: core.cpuid, std.internal.math.bigintppc32, ...
  • More testing is needed.
  • Contact: kai@redstar.de

PowerPC 64-bit Big Endian and Little Endian

  • PPC64 Big Endian requires at least LLVM 3.4. PPC64 Little Endian requires at least LLVM 3.5. Both are affected by PR21443.
  • Only Linux because LLVM does not cleanly compile on AIX.
  • Code generation is known to work.
  • There are no compile issues in druntime and phobos.
  • There are still some test failures. Most of the failures are related to math precision (e.g. unit test expects 80bit reals)
  • See issue #1313 for test failures on PPC64 Little Endian
  • Linux/PPC64 specific implementations are missing: core.cpuid, std.internal.math.bigintppc64, ...
  • Multi-lib build is possible on Linux/PPC64 Big Endian.
  • More testing is needed.
  • Contact: kai@redstar.de

MIPS64

  • Requires at least LLVM 3.6, LLVM 3.7 preferred.
  • LDC and druntime compile cleanly but there are some issues in phobos with std.math.
  • There seems to be an issue with ld and the integrated assembler: ld segfaults with binaries generated by ldc.
  • Known failures with LLVM 3.7: std.math (SROA assert, optimization only), std.bitmanip (assert in SelectionDAG), ...
  • Current target is N32/N64 ABI.
  • Contact: kai@redstar.de

Contributing

LDC is an entirely community-driven effort, so all contributions are warmly welcomed. The easiest way to help with development is to write high-quality bug reports for any issues you run into. For a quick guide on what a useful report should contain, please see Reporting LDC issues.

If you are interested in getting into compiler development, anecdotal evidence suggests that hacking on LDC might be a nice first step, particularly because the LLVM backend is very comfortable to work with. To get started, just browse through the issue list, find a ticket that tickles your fancy (some of them are specifically marked as "junior jobs"), and work on a fix – and of course don't hesitate to ask for advice at the mailing list or on IRC. An LDC contributor's guide is in the works. Have a look at LDC project ideas for a list of features/improvements to add to LDC.

We would also be excited to see LDC packages in more OS distributions, particular Debian and its derivatives. So, if you think you might be able to help, please just drop us a line at the development mailing list. We will actively try to make packaging as smooth as possible, but besides the fact that upstream-maintained packages are sometimes discouraged, it is hard to build good packages for a system you don't know well, so we need to rely on external contributors here.

Presentations

LDC is an active project and the team promotes the use of D and LDC.

Useful Links