TenDRA Compiler facts for kids

The TenDRA Compiler is a special computer program. It helps turn code written in languages like C and C++ into instructions a computer can understand. This compiler works on computers that use POSIX-style operating systems. It is available for anyone to use and change under a special set of rules called the BSD license.

This compiler was first created by a group in the United Kingdom. This group was called the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). In early 2002, a person named Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven started working on TenDRA again. He made it an open-source project, meaning its code was free for everyone. By late 2002, a small team joined him to help develop it further.

The technology behind TenDRA is called the TDF. Its ideas come from older research from the 1970s. This research looked at how to check if computer code was correct.

In August 2003, the TenDRA project split into two new projects. These were called TenDRA.org and Ten15.org. For a while, it seemed like these projects had stopped. But they are actually still active today.

What TenDRA.org Aims For

The main goals for TenDRA.org are:

• To always create computer code that works correctly.
• To make sure the code is correct using different methods.
• To keep making the compiler faster and better. This is important as long as it doesn't make the code less correct.

What Ten15.org Aims For

The Ten15.org project had similar goals. It also wanted to:

• Be a friendly competitor to another popular compiler called GCC. The idea was to help create the best possible compiler.

Cool Features of These Compilers

Both TenDRA and Ten15 compilers have some great features. They are very good at telling you if there are errors in your code. They also create programs that are smaller in size compared to those made by GCC. However, their support for C++ code was not as complete as their support for C code. They also didn't fully support something called STL (Standard Template Library) for C++.

TenDRA uses a special intermediate language. This is like a middle step when turning code into a program. This language is based on a standard called the Architecture Neutral Distribution Format (ANDF). This standard was created by a group called the Open Group.

At one point, most of the Alpha OSF/1 computer system's core could be built using TenDRA C. Later, there was also an effort to use it to build parts of the FreeBSD operating system.

How to Find More Information

If you want to learn more about TenDRA.org, there is a lot of information online. You can find detailed documents at http://www.tendra.org/docs. There are also manual pages for programs and file types at http://www.tendra.org/man.

Related Topics

• TenDRA Distribution Format