From: clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP   
      
   On 2025-08-29, Arne Vajhøj  wrote:   
   > On 8/29/2025 10:14 AM, Waldek Hebisch wrote:   
   >> I wonder if anybody is using GNU binutils targeting VMS.  I am   
   >> trying to set up toolchain for cross-compilation (from Linux) to   
   >> Alpha VMS.  Trying reasonably recent (2.43 and 2.39) binutils I   
   >> get errors suggesting serious brokennes, for example when I use   
   >> 'ar' to create a library and later extract a member I get changed   
   >> file and 'objdump' says that extracted file is malformed.   
   >>   
   >> I am now trying binutils 2.21 and apparently they do not have the   
   >> problem above.  But I see some weirdness and apparently '-shared'   
   >> option (to create shared image) is not supported.   
   >   
   > I suspect very few try to build VMS executables on Linux.   
   >   
      
   A decade ago, I got as far as getting a simple C program for VMS Alpha   
   to compile and link on Linux. Anything else more complicated than that   
   (ie: other languages) failed and I suspect that either bits were missing   
   from the public kits or the additional steps required were not obvious.   
      
   I discussed this at length in comp.os.vms at the time. Anyone interested   
   will have to rely on the notes I posted at the time as I have completely   
   forgotten the details of any of this (and have no motivation to get back   
   up to speed on them because my hobbies these days are very different and   
   because there's no longer a proper hobbyist licence for VMS Alpha).   
      
   > GNV got both ar and ld, but that does not help you.   
   >   
   > But are you sure you want to do it this way?   
   >   
   > My understanding is that you want to do:   
   >   
   > source-(compiler on Linux)->.obj->(ld on Linux)->VMS .exe   
   >   
   > I would go for:   
   >   
   > source-(compiler on Linux)->.obj->(LINK on VMS)->VMS .exe   
   >   
      
   I strongly suspect that will not work as the VMS linker may not   
   have the features needed to link those .o files.   
      
   > Or if possible even better:   
   >   
   > source-(compiler on Linux)->.s-(GCC AS on VMS)->.obj-(LINK on VMS)->VMS .exe   
   >   
      
   Er, why ? If you can get the BFD library working for VMS Alpha   
   once again, that's the major problem sorted.   
      
   > GCC AS (version 2.8) is working on VMS Alpha.   
   >   
      
   Also, what makes you think that the GNU gas of that era will still   
   be suitable for today's compilers ?   
      
   Simon.   
      
   --   
   Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP   
   Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)