Editing GNU Compiler Collection (section)

{{Short description|Free and open-source compiler for various programming languages}}
{{Primary sources|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox software
| name = GNU Compiler Collection
| logo = [[File:GNU Compiler Collection logo.svg|100px]]
| logo caption = 
| screenshot = GCC 10.2 GNU Compiler Collection self-compilation.png
| caption = Screenshot of GCC 10.2 compiling its own source code
| collapsible = 
| author = [[Richard Stallman]]
| developer = [[GNU Project]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1987|03|22}}<ref name="release-history">{{cite web|url=https://gnu.org/software/gcc/releases.html|title=GCC Releases|publisher=GNU Project|access-date=July 24, 2020|archive-date=June 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604113400/https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/releases.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| discontinued = 
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q178940|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q178940|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q178940|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q178940|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=GCC Coding Conventions - GNU Project|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/codingconventions.html|access-date=2022-02-07|website=gcc.gnu.org|archive-date=May 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528012107/https://gcc.gnu.org/codingconventions.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| operating system = [[Cross-platform]]
| platform = [[GNU]] and many others
| size = ~15 million [[Source lines of code|LOC]]<ref name="loc">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXwxBM4sbYM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/QXwxBM4sbYM| archive-date=2021-11-07 | url-status=live|title=Cutting Edge Toolchain (Latest Features in GCC/GLIBC)|author=Víctor Rodríguez|date=2019-10-01|website=youtube.com|publisher=Linux Foundation|access-date=2021-01-19}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| language = English
| genre = [[Compiler]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GPLv3+]] with GCC Runtime Library Exception<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gnu.org/licenses/gcc-exception-3.1|title=GCC Runtime Library Exception|access-date=July 24, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331220440/https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gcc-exception-3.1|url-status=live}}</ref>
| alexa = 
| website = {{URL|https://gcc.gnu.org}}
}}

The '''GNU Compiler Collection''' ('''GCC''') is a collection of [[compiler]]s from the [[GNU Project]] that support various [[programming language]]s, [[Computer architecture|hardware architectures]], and [[operating system]]s. The [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) distributes GCC as [[free software]] under the [[GNU General Public License]] (GNU GPL). GCC is a key component of the [[GNU toolchain]] which is used for most projects related to [[GNU]] and the [[Linux kernel]]. With roughly 15 million lines of code in 2019, GCC is one of the largest free programs in existence.<ref name="loc"/> It has played an important role in the growth of [[free software]], as both a tool and an example.

When it was first released in 1987 by [[Richard Stallman]], GCC 1.0 was named the '''GNU C Compiler''' since it only handled the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]].<ref name="release-history" /> It was extended to compile [[C++]] in December of that year. [[Compiler#Front end|Front ends]] were later developed for [[Objective-C]], [[Objective-C++]], [[Fortran]], [[Ada (programming language)|Ada]], [[Go (programming language)|Go]], [[D (programming language)|D]], [[Modula-2]], [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]] and [[COBOL]] among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/frontends.html|title=Programming Languages Supported by GCC|access-date=2014-06-23|publisher=GNU Project|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118185814/https://gcc.gnu.org/frontends.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[OpenMP]] and [[OpenACC]] specifications are also supported in the C and C++ compilers.<ref name="gcc6">{{Cite web|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/gcc-6/changes.html|title=GCC 6 Release Series — Changes, New Features, and Fixes - GNU Project|website=gcc.gnu.org|access-date=September 19, 2016|archive-date=September 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922161533/http://gcc.gnu.org/gcc-6/changes.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/OpenACC|title=OpenACC - GCC Wiki|website=gcc.gnu.org|access-date=September 19, 2016|archive-date=April 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401174332/https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/OpenACC|url-status=live}}</ref>

As well as being the official compiler of the [[GNU operating system]], GCC has been adopted as the standard compiler by many other modern [[Unix-like]] computer [[operating system]]s, including most [[Linux]] distributions. Most [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] family operating systems also switched to GCC shortly after its release, although since then, [[FreeBSD]] and [[MacOS|Apple macOS]] have moved to the [[Clang]] compiler,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://llvm.org/Users.html|title=The LLVM Compiler Infrastructure Project|website=llvm.org|access-date=September 24, 2021|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118185909/https://llvm.org/Users.html|url-status=live}}</ref> largely due to licensing reasons.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Apple's GPLv3 purge|url=http://meta.ath0.com/2012/02/05/apples-great-gpl-purge/|access-date=2021-01-12|website=meta.ath0.com|date=February 5, 2012|language=en-us|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118185910/http://meta.ath0.com/2012/02/05/apples-great-gpl-purge/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Linnemann|first=Reid|date=June 20, 2012|title=Why Clang|url=https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2012-June/242495.html|access-date=2021-01-12|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118185910/https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2012-June/242495.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-10-11|title=August 29, 2007: FreeBSD Foundation Newsletter, August 29, 2007|url=http://www.freebsdfoundation.org/press/2007Aug-newsletter.shtml#Letter|access-date=2021-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011023649/http://www.freebsdfoundation.org/press/2007Aug-newsletter.shtml#Letter|archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref> GCC can also compile code for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[iOS]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[HP-UX]], [[IBM AIX|AIX]] and [[DOS]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Installing GCC: Binaries - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/install/binaries.html|access-date=2021-01-12|website=gcc.gnu.org|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105200706/https://gcc.gnu.org/install/binaries.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

GCC has been [[porting|ported]] to more platforms and [[instruction set architecture]]s than any other compiler, and is widely deployed as a tool in the development of both free and [[proprietary software]]. GCC is also available for many [[embedded system]]s, including [[ARM architecture family|ARM]]-based and [[Power ISA]]-based chips.