From: clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP   
      
   On 2025-08-29, Waldek Hebisch  wrote:   
   > 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.   
   >>   
   >> GNV got both ar and ld, but that does not help you.   
   >   
   > Where are the sources?  Working sources certainly would help.   
   >   
      
   Aren't they simply wrappers around the native VMS utilities ?   
      
   >> 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   
   >   
   > That is plan B.  Working binutils would be simpler because   
   > I could use existing automated process.   
   >   
      
   Binutils worked at one time because I was able to do the whole   
   sequence, including generating the final C VMS executable, on Linux.   
      
   > Actually, ATM I getting errors during gcc build.  I can use   
   > crude workaround to go further, but I am affraid that to get   
   > working compiler I need either working binutils or to examine   
   > all build steps involving binutils and do equvalent work in   
   > different way.   
   >   
      
   That's where I gave up. I either didn't understand the required   
   VMS-specific build steps or there were bits missing from the public   
   source kits.   
      
   Note that I have a lot of experience building cross compilers on Linux   
   for various embedded targets (including fixing various problems   
   I encountered along the way), and I have never had a fraction of the   
   problems I had when trying to get VMS support working.   
      
   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)