Re: [boost] [clang][preprocessor] Testing of clang emualting the VC++ preprocessor on Windows

Subject: Re: [boost] [clang][preprocessor] Testing of clang emualting the VC++ preprocessor on Windows
From: Paul Mensonides (pmenso57_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-04-07 14:49:14

On 4/5/2016 12:53 AM, Niall Douglas wrote:
> On 4 Apr 2016 at 16:21, Paul Mensonides wrote:
>
>> I am not referring to VC++.  I am referring to clang intentionally
>> conforming to VC++ rather than conforming to the Standard.  That
>> decision is crap and the mentality that produced it is also crap.  The
>> same is true for any other intentional nonconformance.
>
> Until very recently - VS2015 Update 2 - clang needed to behave like
> MSVC in order to grok Windows system headers.

Or it needed to replace them or provide instructions for them to be 
fixed.  Comeau C++ (EDG-based) required this back in the day. IDK about now.

> Now Windows system headers are (apparently) standards conforming,
> clang no longer needs to behave this way. Hence me submitting feature
> request https://llvm.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=27169 to have winclang
> no longer implement a broken preprocessor except in msvc
> compatibility mode.
>
> (Note as of Update 2, -fms-compatibility is no longer needed to use
> clang with a MSVC target. An enormous improvement).

MSVC target != Windows target

> I think their decision making here is far more driven by lack of
> resources than anything else, only a tiny - if very productive -
> segment of clang's dev team work on MSVC ABI support. They needed to
> sell to management the need for a MSVC ABI target. That means telling
> a very simple compelling use case story. As Microsoft have now picked
> up clang for Visual Studio and have finally repaired their headers,
> I'd call that simple story a resounding success.

The problem that I have with this is more fundamental.  Microsoft should 
not get to unilaterally decide what C++ is on Windows--including the ABI 
(which by its nature can limit what parts of C++ even can be implemented).

Regards,
Paul Mensonides