32-bit gcc help

[Stephen Williams]

Mike A. Harris wrote:

> If you were using AMD64 architecture, you could use -m32 to
> compile 32bit x86 binaries, as the CPU can run both native 32bit
> and 64bit code.  ia64 can do similar with emulation, and ppc64
> can run 32bit ppc binaries also.  There never was a 32bit Alpha,
> so it has no such capability.

Actually, Windows NT/alpha and Microsoft C/RISC edition was
definitely *32* bit. It was not compatible with any 32bit alpha
which never existed) but int/long/void* were 32bit as the
compiler generated them, so 32bit applications didn't need to
be ported, per se. (M$ never made a 64bit system/compiler for
alpha, so far as I know.)

Also, the DEC compiler for alpha had a "32bit" mode that limited
the sizes of things in the same way. It needed operating system
support to keep the application address space within a 32bit
pointer.

Of course, compared to fixing the application, all this is
cheating:-)

-- 
Steve Williams                "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
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