[petsc-dev] C++11, compatibility versus simplicity

[Jed Brown]

Tim Tautges <tautges at mcs.anl.gov> writes:

> Lots of missing spaces for XL.  

Fortunately, the LLVM backend is competitive with XL on performance and
is standards-compliant.  With any luck, IBM will stop shipping XL.

> What about Cray, can't remember the compiler flavor they use.  

Cray has their own compiler, but it's not the default on any of their
machines.

> But anyway, surely you're not expecting your users to install their
> own GCC or LLVM, right?

I've seen brand-new near-petascale machines installed with 5+ year old
software stacks.  If the people running the facility are stuck in the
stone age, then yes, users can install a contemporary compiler.  Or the
facility can provide a recent version.

(Yes, it's a serious impediment and lack of cross-vendor ABI
compatibility often means that it's not even an option.  People jump
through far greater hoops, so it depends whether you are targeting the
average or the extreme.)
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