[MLton] x86_64 port status

[skaller]

On Sun, 2006-05-07 at 22:39 -0500, Henry Cejtin wrote:
> I know that it can run both 32 and 64 bit applications, and of course some
> apps are going to only work in 32-bitmode (because they depend on it).  I was
> just curious if the distributions tended to re-compile everything for 64
> bits or just run most things in 32 bit mode.

They run everything 64 bit, except a few apps in two clases:

(a) legacy apps, eg Intel's C/C++ compiler (no source)
(b) apps undergoing conversion, eg Open Office

Most major distros such as Debian have been building for 64 bit
since Dec Alpha. Now a host of new 64 bit processors, Sparcs, 
PPC64, x86_64, ia64 -- for C code there's little difference 
which processor, since the C code model is the same in all these 
cases. [Of course the backends differ]

Hence, the conversion to 64 bit wasn't that painful because it
had already been done for many packages. The x86_64 presented
an extra incentive to upgrade more.

Actually more pain stabilising the backend/ABI I think.

-- 
John Skaller <skaller at users dot sf dot net>
Felix, successor to C++: http://felix.sf.net