Cross-platform Considerations

Frost's design leverages LLVM's powerful infrastructure, providing exceptional cross-platform capabilities. By outputting LLVM IR (Intermediate Representation), Frost inherits support for all architectures and platforms that LLVM targets.

LLVM Backend Support

Frost's compilation to LLVM IR means it can target a wide range of architectures, including:

• x86 and x86-64

• ARM and AArch64

• RISC-V

• PowerPC

• MIPS

• WebAssembly

• And many more

Compiling for Different Platforms

To compile Frost code for a specific platform:

1. Install the LLVM toolchain for your target architecture.

2. Compile the Frost compiler on the target system or cross-compile it.

3. Use the Frost compiler to generate LLVM IR.

4. Utilize LLVM tools to compile the IR to native code for your target.

For example, to compile for ARM:

frostc -i source.ff -o output.ll
llc -march=arm output.ll -o output.s
clang output.s -o output

Pre-built Binaries vs. Building from Source

Pre-built binaries of Frost are available for common platforms. However, for less common architectures or the latest features, you may need to build from source:

1. Clone the Frost repository

2. Install the LLVM toolchain for your target architecture

3. Follow the build instructions in the repository

Cross-compilation

For cross-compilation:

1. Install a cross-compilation toolchain for your target architecture

2. Use LLVM's cross-compilation features to generate code for the target platform

Platform-Specific Considerations

While Frost aims for platform independence, be aware of:

• Differences in data type sizes across architectures

• Platform-specific APIs and system calls

• Endianness variations

Use Frost's conditional compilation features to handle platform-specific code:

?defined(__APPLE__)
    % Linux-specific code
?else
    % Code for other platforms
?end

By targeting LLVM IR, Frost achieves a high degree of portability while allowing developers to leverage platform-specific optimizations when needed.