LLVM project releases LLVM 2.5

LLVM, the Low Level Virtual Machine project, has released version 2.5 of the LLVM distribution. LLVM is a project to create a compiler infrastructure that enables code to be optimised at compile time, link time, run time and even when an application is idling. LLVM is being developed by Apple, Google and Adobe, among others, working with the University of Illinois.

LLVM 2.5 now has a back-end to work with XCore processors. llvm-gcc, the gcc front-end to LLVM, now "generally supports" GFortran, but the developers have also disabled the GCC inliner, which had been causing problems with code size. Numerous other improvements have been made in the other components of LLVM and these are covered in the 2.5 release notes.

The developers also took the opportunity to update the status of the sub-projects within the LLVM project. The clang C/C++/Objective-C front-end is progressing and is now capable of building real world applications, such as FreeBSD's kernel and gcc 4.2. The clang developers have improved Objective-C support so that it now supports features like garbage collection. The clang static code analyser has also been improved, gaining a wider set of checks it can perform on code.

The VMKit sub-project that aims to implement a Java virtual machine and CLI Virtual machine using LLVM, has made its second release and now is, for example, able to compile .class files ahead of time into LLVM byte code.

See also:

• LLVM meeting proceedings published, a report from The H.

(djwm)