Kbuild Updates For Linux 4.12 Brings Some LLVM/Clang Improvements

The kbuild updates for the Linux kernel aren't usually noteworthy but at least this time does bring a few LLVM/Clang related changes.

The Kbuild updates for Linux 4.12 does bring a patch from the LLVMLinux crew that continue working on being able to build the kernel under LLVM Clang as an alternative to GCC. Additionally, there is support to generate LLVM Assembly files. Aside from that, the pull request has other basic fixes/improvements but nothing too dramatic.

Great to see the "LLVMLinux" work continuing albeit in recent times it's been advancing at a snail's pace. Out-of-tree kernels have been able to build the Linux kernel with Clang on x86_64 and ARM for some time, but not all of the work has been merged to mainline. At last check, the key contributors to this project were busy with other commitments. The project site sadly hasn't seen much work since 2014.

Some are driven to this effort to enjoy Clang for building the Linux kernel due to faster compile times or better diagnostics, but in recent releases GCC has been making improvements in this area too. Others have been trying to get Clang building the kernel simply for vetting the code for better quality and portability across compilers.