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diff --git a/content/bootstrapGcc/07_moar.md b/content/bootstrapGcc/07_moar.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cc20ac5 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/bootstrapGcc/07_moar.md @@ -0,0 +1,187 @@ +Title: More work, more people, more energy — thanks NlNet +Date: 2023-07-17 +Category: +Tags: Bootstrapping GCC in RISC-V +Slug: bootstrapGcc7 +Lang: en +Summary: + Now it's time to focus on combining all the previous work and making it + production ready. NlNet for the rescue, again. + +I might become a little bit famous in this small world of Guix, RISC-V and +bootstrapping after my [FOSDEM talk of this year][fosdem23] and the work I did +during 2021 and 2022, that you can follow in this [series of posts][series] I'm +going on with right now. + +All that I write here is nothing I did alone. Many people helped me to make +this happen, but in the end it is me the one that writes here and makes the +noise. So, before explaining anything else, I want to thank everyone that is +involved in the process. + +I also want to thank [NLNet / NGI-Assure][nlnet] for funding the project. +Without there wouldn't be anything to discuss here. They just enabled this work +with their funds. + +[nlnet]: https://nlnet.nl/project/GNUMes-RISCV/ +[fosdem23]: https://fosdem.org/2023/schedule/event/guixriscv/ +[series]: https://ekaitz.elenq.tech/tag/bootstrapping-gcc-in-risc-v.html + +The work is done, it was funded and it was finished. I backported RISC-V +support to GCC, and I also backported the RISC-V support to the bootstrappable +TinyCC, but that's not enough. All that I did has to be combined with the whole +bootstrapping toolchain, so it's time for more. + + +### A new way + +Even with all the help, during the project I felt alone. The codebases are huge +(GCC is millions LoC), or very badly written (tcc I'm looking at you) and there +are tons of moving parts (Hex0, M1, M2-Planet, Mes, tcc, bootstrappable tcc, +gcc, all the libcs...). It's really hard to know everything and none of us know +all the ecosystem deeply so many times there's none to ask for help. You are +alone. + +This might seem a good thing, a challenge, and it is, but it's also very energy +consuming. I did all I could and I'm not sure if I can take this a lot further +by myself. + +Now, the project has evolved. We have most of the dots and it's time to draw +the line that connects them. + +In order to do that we need more collaboration as each of us has become an +expert in a different part of the chain. Also, many new problems will arise +from the interaction between the different parts. + +Knowing that, this time I proposed something else: I wanted to make a larger +project where more people would collaborate and I asked NlNet for the funds to +continue the work from that perspective. + +That's good because we can pay every person involved on this according to their +implication[^surprise]. + +[^surprise]: It might sound really surprising to some, but some of the people + involved on this are paid zero money for their time at the moment, and they + are doing great improvements. This is a topic for a huge discussion but, in + summary: work is work, and you should get paid for it. + +### NlNet / NGI Assure + +Of course, I wouldn't be writing this if NlNet didn't give us the funds. + +So, yes: NlNet decided to fund us. Big thanks to them and to NGI Assure. + +<style> +.container{ + display: flex; + flex-flow: row wrap; + justify-content: center; + gap: 40px; +} +.no-side-margin{ + margin: 0px; +} +</style> +<div class="container"> +<img class="no-side-margin" src="{attach}/bootstrapGcc/nlnet.svg" width=200px> +<img class="no-side-margin" src="{attach}/bootstrapGcc/NGIAssure.svg" width=200px> +</div> + + +### The work + +As I introduced in the [Fosdem talk][fosdem23], there's a lot of integration +work to do. + +During the last year I focused on backporting the RISC-V support to GCC and the +Bootstrappable TinyCC. I did that because I knew that would enable more work on +the whole chain of compilers we use in the bootstrapping process. But also +because I could just focus on a very specific part, forgetting about the whole +chain for a moment. + +Now it's time to start combining all the work together. + +The funding includes enough tasks to make the full source bootstrapping for +RISC-V. This is a summary of the tasks: + +- Finish GNU Mes' RISC-V support +- Build the Bootstrappable TinyCC using GNU Mes' RISC-V support added in the + first task +- Fix the backported GCC 4.6.4 package to include C++ support and fix missing + functionality +- Build the backported GCC 4.6.4 +- Build the upstream GCC 7.5 or higher with the backported GCC 4.6.4 +- Package the whole process and include it in Guix's commencement module +- Review the associated projects and fix the possible issues +- Document all the process + +You are probably not familiar enough with the whole thing to know what they +really mean but some of them are **really hard**. + +I'll go into more detail on all of them as we work on them, so don't worry at +the moment. + +### The feelings + +I'm not very excited with this project anymore. The tasks you can see in the +previous block are not good for a person like me. I really struggle with them: +configuring development environments, fixing weird imports, etc. It's hard for +me, intellectually and emotionally. + +I already did the parts that interested me the most and I want to move on to +something else. + +Why ask for more funds then? + +Well, lets say it plainly: the funds are not for me. I'm using the success I +had with the previous project and the interest NlNet has on it to fund other +people to finish the work. + +Whoever that makes the task will get the budget associated to it. + +The plan here is to help coordinate other people to make the tasks, but not +really do them myself. I don't discard it though. I'll probably need to work on +some of them. + +The fact that I'm the one that presented the proposal doesn't mean the proposal +is for me. The proposal is for **you**. + +### The people + +I already managed to involve two fellow hackers and I made the proposal with +them as collaborators: + +- **Efraim Flashner**, who has been working on the RISC-V port of most of the + Guix packages is going to take part in this second stage of the project as he + knows better than anyone else what's the status of RISC-V in Guix. +- **Danny Milosavljevic**, who worked in the bootstrapping process for ARM also + agreed to get involved in this. + +But there's more people involved even if they are not part of the proposal +directly: + +- **Jan Nieuwenhuizen** (Janneke) is the Mes author and maintainer. +- **Andrius Štikonas** is deeply involved in the bootstrapping process, too. Making + a lot of patches to live-bootstrap, Mes, Hex0, M2-Planet and so on. +- **Juliana Sims** has also shown interest in the project because she has been + involved in RISC-V related projects before. + +You can be part of them too! + +If you want to join us, feel free to contact me to `riscv-effort@elenq.tech` or +join `#bootstrappable` in `libera.chat` and ping me there. + +I'm sure we all will learn a lot together during the process. + + +### Closing words + +So, in summary, I'm just introducing a new part of this adventure. Thanks to +NlNet, we can take all the work we have been doing separately on Mes, GCC, +TinyCC, Hex0, M2-Planet and so on and finally combine it all together. + +This is a huge effort, but hopefully we'll manage to do it, learn a lot in +the process and get paid. + +We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you all informed. + +Take care. |