Badly needed: Intel C++ Compiler for FreeBSD!

[Oliver_Jones]

Hi,

I own current licences for Intel Parallel Studio on Windows and Linux, and the Intel C++ Compiler on Mac OS X. However, I would be VERY grateful to find out if there is any chance of getting the Intel C++ compiler to work on FreeBSD. There used to be a port which modified the Linux version (now deleted), but with OS X being practically based on FreeBSD, surely it would be trivial to port the Intel C++ compiler to FreeBSD?

By any chance, is there anyone at Intel who is prepared to champion this? You would gain untold benefits in the consumer space (FreeBSD *excels* as an embedded operating system!) Many ISPs consider only FreeBSD when it comes to hosting Web content - and in fact, in the top ten most reliable Web hosting partners (Netcraft data), the top spots are usually occupied by providers who use FreeBSD. For February 2011, for example, you have to go to 4th place in order to find someone who is NOT using FreeBSD.

I would be really grateful for a solution, here. FreeBSD is an excellent front-end system that is very, very stable under heavy loads - and I would choose it over Linux in a heartbeat. Problem is, finding a good compiler for FreeBSD is very hard - the GPL doesn't permit a modern version of gcc to be included, and the Intel compiler is not currently available for FreeBSD. The "other" alternative, clang, is also held back by Apple's own disinterest in certain platforms (e.g. Atom.), which is vital for the embedded space.

Please, is there anyone who can push (or knows someone who can) for a FreeBSD support kit for the Mac OS X / Linux version (or even a complete, FreeBSD version of the Intel C++ compiler?) I would gladly pay (again!) for such a product, as would quite a few other developers who value the FreeBSD platform and the maturity and security it offers over most Linux offerings.

There WAS a FreeBSD port, once upon a time - but that only worked with much older versions of ICC, and it was entirely community-supported. What I am after, ideally, is a version of ICC that can be bought, paid for and installed on FreeBSD with no messing around, so I can recompile everything - from the FreeBSD kernel, to apps, ports and drivers - natively. If I can't have that, I'd also settle for an Intel-supplied support kit that allows a Mac OS X or Linux-licensed version of ICC to be used on FreeBSD.

[Alexander_N_2]

One option is to port pkgsrc-wip/icc11http://pkgsrc.se/wip/icc11to FreeBSD.

Alex

[Om_S_Intel]

Intel Compiler Development team do not have current plan to port icc to FreeBSD.

[Udit_P_Intel]

Intel C++ compiler now supports FreeBSD as part of Intel System Studio for FreeBSD suite. To get Intel System Studio for FreeBSD, contact IntelSystemStudio@intel.com

[KitturGanesh]

Hi Oliver,

As Udit mentioned earlier, the latest 2016 version of the Intel System Studio has support for FreeBSD.  You can refer to the article at https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-system-studio-2016-for-freebsd  for details. Also, if you can send an email to the author with your contact information I can pass that on to our Biz. Dev. manager so they can contact you and provide more info as well and sync up with your product needs, appreciate much.

_Kittur

[KitturGanesh]

Hi Oliver, I've sent you a private email asking you for more info and you can reply accordingly, appreciate much.

_Kittur

[Oliver_Jones]

It would appear that Intel has decided to discontinue the FreeBSD compiler for Intel System Studio, practically one year after launching it. Although System Studio 2017 exists for FreeBSD, this does not actually contain a compiler. Only the 2016 release contains a compiler for FreeBSD, and no further FreeBSD releases are planned, even for the 2016 release.

This is very disappointing, to be honest, especially as you charged a commercial licence fee for access to the software. How can anyone plan a commercial product if you keep chopping and changing platforms each year? You demand a hefty fee for new subscriptions for a platform, and my subscription hadn't even elapsed before I was informed that the product has effectively been cancelled.

I will not be renewing my Linux, Windows or FreeBSD subscriptions this year: If I have to roll a dice to figure out whether the tools I paid for will still be supported on the platforms I planned, it is time to consider another vendor.