Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH v1 1/1] configure: Add RISC-V host support

[Peter Maydell]

On 31 July 2018 at 10:30, Daniel P. Berrangé <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 30, 2018 at 07:37:55PM +0100, Peter Maydell wrote:
>> We should fix this somewhat nonsensical error message by
>> completing the deprecate-and-drop cycle for this bit of
>> configure, ie by outright rejecting attempts to build on
>> host CPU types we don't recognize and support, the same
>> way we do with unrecognized host OS types.
>
> Do you mean to imply that we should drop  the TCG intepreter too, or do
> you consider that something that makes it a supported host CPU ?  TCG
> intepretor essentially makes any host supportable, if we keep it.

I would happily drop the TCG host interpreter, but I don't
object in the short term to keeping it around (as an experimental
thing for people who really want it for some reason). I do want to
stop claiming we "support" host CPUs which we in practice
don't, because the interpreter's performance is not good and
it only works with a subset of host OS calling convention ABIs
anyway. Either a host CPU architecture matters enough that we
can put in the not-all-that-huge effort to support it properly,
or it doesn't. I don't think it serves the (probably nearly
zero) users trying to run QEMU on weird CPUs to produce a
sort-of-but-not-really-working setup which we'll then disclaim
any interest in if they do try to report problems to us.

thanks
-- PMM