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<h1>clang: a C language family frontend for LLVM</h1>\r
\r
- <h2>About</h2>\r
- \r
- <p>The goal of the Clang project is to create a new <a\r
- href="http://llvm.org/svn/llvm-project/cfe/trunk/LICENSE.TXT">BSD\r
- licensed</a> C, C++, & ObjC front-end for the <a \r
- href="http://www.llvm.org/">LLVM</a> compiler.</p>\r
- \r
- <p>In the context of this website, the term Clang actually refers to two \r
- things:</p>\r
- \r
- <ol>\r
- <li> A "code name" for the LLVM compiler front-end.</li>\r
- <li> A specific library in the LLVM front-end -- in particular the\r
- "driver" that makes all the other libraries work together.</li>\r
- </ol>\r
-\r
- <p>The developers of Clang include contributers from Apple and numerous\r
- other volunteers.</p>\r
+ <p>The goal of the Clang project is to create a new C, C++, Objective C and\r
+ Objective C++ front-end for the <a href="http://www.llvm.org/">LLVM</a>\r
+ compiler.</p>\r
\r
<h2>Why?</h2>\r
- <p>The development of a new front-end was started out of a need -- a need for a compiler that allows better diagnostics, better integration with IDEs, a license that is compatible with commercial products, and a compiler that is easier to develop and maintain. All of these were motivations for starting work on a new C/C++/ObjC front-end that could meet these needs.\r
- <p>An excellent introduction to Clang can be found in the following video lectures:\r
+ \r
+ <p>The development of a new front-end was started out of a need -- a need\r
+ for a compiler that allows better diagnostics, better integration with\r
+ IDEs, a license that is compatible with commercial products, and a\r
+ compiler that is easier to develop and maintain. All of these were\r
+ motivations for starting work on a new front-end that could\r
+ meet these needs.</p>\r
+ \r
+ <p>An good (but quite dated) introduction to Clang can be found in the\r
+ following video lectures:</p>\r
+ \r
<ul>\r
<li><a href="clang_video-05-25-2007.html">Clang Introduction</a>\r
- <li><a href="clang_video-07-25-2007.html">Features and Performance of Clang</a>\r
+ (May 2007)</li>\r
+ <li><a href="clang_video-07-25-2007.html">Features and Performance of \r
+ Clang</a> (July 2007)</li>\r
</ul>\r
+ \r
<h2>Features/Goals</h2>\r
- Some of the goals for the project include the following:\r
+ \r
+ <p>Some of the goals for the project include the following:</p>\r
+ \r
<ul>\r
- <li>Real-world, production quality compiler.</li>\r
- <li>A single unified parser for C/ObjC/C++</li>\r
- <li>Language conformance with C, ObjC, C++ (including variants, like C90, C99, etc)</li>\r
- <li>GCC compatibility (supports GCC extensions, but allow them to be disabled)</li>\r
- <li>Library based architecture with finely crafted C++ APIs</li>\r
- <li>High performance</li>\r
- <li>Design for integration with IDEs as well as code generation with <a href="http://llvm.org">LLVM</a>.</li>\r
- <li><a href="features.html#expressivediags">Expressive diagnostics</a></li>\r
- <li>BSD License</li>\r
+ <li>Real-world, production quality compiler.</li>\r
+ <li>A single unified parser for C, Objective C, C++, and Objective\r
+ C++.</li>\r
+ <li>Language conformance with these languages and their variants, like\r
+ C90, C99, etc.</li>\r
+ <li>GCC compatibility: support GCC extensions, but allow them to be\r
+ disabled.</li>\r
+ <li>Library based architecture with finely crafted APIs.</li>\r
+ <li>Support many clients, such as refactoring, static analysis, as well as\r
+ code generation.</li>\r
+ <li>High performance.</li>\r
+ <li>Design for integration with IDEs as well as code generation with the\r
+ <a href="http://llvm.org">LLVM Optimizer and Code Generator</a>.</li>\r
+ <li><a href="features.html#expressivediags">Expressive diagnostics</a>:\r
+ warnings and errors that are actually helpful and make sense.</li>\r
+ <li>Use the LLVM <a\r
+ href="http://llvm.org/svn/llvm-project/cfe/trunk/LICENSE.TXT">'BSD'\r
+ License</a>.</li>\r
</ul>\r
- Of course this is only a rough outline of the goals and features of Clang. To get a true sense of what the new LLVM front-end is all about, as well as why you might want to considering using it, see the <a href="features.html">Features</a> section.\r
- <h2>Try Clang</h2>\r
- If you are a compiler developer and want to try out Clang, then build instructions are available on the <a href="get_involved.html#build">Get Involved</a> page. Note that clang is still early in development. If you are looking for source analysis or source-to-source transformation tools, clang is probably a great solution for you. If you want to use it as a drop in C compiler, it is not yet ready.\r
+ \r
+ <p>Of course this is only a rough outline of the goals and features of\r
+ Clang. To get a true sense of what the new LLVM front-end is all about,\r
+ as well as why you might want to considering using it, see the <a \r
+ href="features.html">Features</a> section.</p>\r
+ \r
+ \r
+ <h2>Current Status</h2>\r
+ \r
+ <p>Clang is still in early development stages. If you are looking for\r
+ source analysis or source-to-source transformation tools, clang is probably\r
+ a great solution for you. If you want to use it as a drop in C compiler, it\r
+ is not yet ready.</p>\r
+\r
+ <p>Clang currently has pretty good parsing and semantic analysis support for\r
+ C and Objective-C right now, and bugs are usually quickly fixed once\r
+ reported. C++ support is still very early, and we don't expect to have\r
+ respectable C++ support for another 2 years or so.</p>\r
+ \r
<h2>Get Involved</h2>\r
- If you are interested in working on Clang, then check out the <a href="get_involved.html">Get Involved</a> section.\r
+ \r
+ <p>The developers of Clang include contributers from Apple and numerous\r
+ other volunteers. If you are interested in joining the community or\r
+ learning more, please consider joining the <a \r
+ href="http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/cfe-dev">cfe-dev</a>\r
+ mailing list, or start by browsing its archives.</p>\r
+\r
+ <p>If you are interested in trying out Clang, please see the build\r
+ instructions on the <ahref="get_involved.html#build">Get Involved</a> \r
+ page.</p> \r
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