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| <h1 class="settitle">Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)</h1> |
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| <h2 class="chapter">1 Programming Languages Supported by GCC</h2> |
| |
| <p><a name="index-GCC-2"></a><a name="index-GNU-Compiler-Collection-3"></a><a name="index-GNU-C-Compiler-4"></a><a name="index-Ada-5"></a><a name="index-Fortran-6"></a><a name="index-Java-7"></a><a name="index-Objective_002dC-8"></a><a name="index-Objective_002dC_002b_002b-9"></a>GCC stands for “GNU Compiler Collection”. GCC is an integrated |
| distribution of compilers for several major programming languages. These |
| languages currently include C, C++, Objective-C, Objective-C++, Java, |
| Fortran, and Ada. |
| |
| <p>The abbreviation <dfn>GCC</dfn> has multiple meanings in common use. The |
| current official meaning is “GNU Compiler Collection”, which refers |
| generically to the complete suite of tools. The name historically stood |
| for “GNU C Compiler”, and this usage is still common when the emphasis |
| is on compiling C programs. Finally, the name is also used when speaking |
| of the <dfn>language-independent</dfn> component of GCC: code shared among the |
| compilers for all supported languages. |
| |
| <p>The language-independent component of GCC includes the majority of the |
| optimizers, as well as the “back ends” that generate machine code for |
| various processors. |
| |
| <p><a name="index-COBOL-10"></a><a name="index-Mercury-11"></a><a name="index-Pascal-12"></a>The part of a compiler that is specific to a particular language is |
| called the “front end”. In addition to the front ends that are |
| integrated components of GCC, there are several other front ends that |
| are maintained separately. These support languages such as Pascal, |
| Mercury, and COBOL. To use these, they must be built together with |
| GCC proper. |
| |
| <p><a name="index-C_002b_002b-13"></a><a name="index-G_002b_002b-14"></a><a name="index-Ada-15"></a><a name="index-GNAT-16"></a>Most of the compilers for languages other than C have their own names. |
| The C++ compiler is G++, the Ada compiler is GNAT, and so on. When we |
| talk about compiling one of those languages, we might refer to that |
| compiler by its own name, or as GCC. Either is correct. |
| |
| <p><a name="index-compiler-compared-to-C_002b_002b-preprocessor-17"></a><a name="index-intermediate-C-version_002c-nonexistent-18"></a><a name="index-C-intermediate-output_002c-nonexistent-19"></a>Historically, compilers for many languages, including C++ and Fortran, |
| have been implemented as “preprocessors” which emit another high |
| level language such as C. None of the compilers included in GCC are |
| implemented this way; they all generate machine code directly. This |
| sort of preprocessor should not be confused with the <dfn>C |
| preprocessor</dfn>, which is an integral feature of the C, C++, Objective-C |
| and Objective-C++ languages. |
| |
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