From: arne@vajhoej.dk   
      
   On 3/26/2025 2:57 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:   
   > On 2025-03-26, Arne Vajhøj  wrote:   
   >> On 3/26/2025 1:09 AM, David Meyer wrote:   
   >>> Is there anything in the VSI licensing that would prevent a community of   
   >>> VMS and Rust (for example) fans from developing a VMS port of a Rust   
   >>> compiler and releasing the compiler as open source?   
   >>   
   >> No.   
   >>   
   >> VMS users can write or port all the compilers they want to. And   
   >> they have done so in the past: old versions of GCC C and C++ ran on   
   >> VMS VAX and VMS Alpha, old versions of Gnat Ada ran on VMS Alpha   
   >> and VMS Itanium.   
   >>   
   >> The reason it is not happening is not license restrictions, but   
   >> lack of interest (willing to do work type of interest - not   
   >> it would be nice if somebody else did the work interest) in   
   >> the VMS community.   
   >>   
   >   
   > In the case of rust there are major technical reasons. See below.   
   >   
   >> The specific discussion was about the LLVM compiler backend,   
   >> that VSI use for their compilers. If VSI made that available   
   >> (it is open source) then it would be easier for people to   
   >> write or port new compilers using LLVM as backend.   
   >   
   > Would any rust toolkit version even build with the version of LLVM   
   > that VSI use ?   
   >   
   > This posting claims LLVM version 17 is a minimum for the current version   
   > of rust:   
   >   
   > https://users.rust-lang.org/t/does-anyone-know-the-lowest-vers   
   on-of-llvm-that-rust18-can-use/120096   
   >   
   > How far back would you have to go before you find a rust version that   
   > would build with the LLVM version VSI have currently ported ?   
      
   I believe VMS use LLVM 3.4.2 from 2014.   
      
   So an early Rust version may work with it, but not a   
   relevant version of Rust.   
      
   VSI release of VMS changes to current LLVM will not help   
   a community VMS Rust project.   
      
   VSI LLVM upgrade and release of VMS changes would help.   
      
   Else the community could do a port of recent version. Not   
   likely, but theoretical possible (35 years ago GCC was   
   ported to VMS VAX and 25 years ago GCC was ported to   
   VMS Alpha).   
      
   Arne   
      
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