By Carla Schroder

The GNU (pronounced guh-NEW) Free Software Foundation created and maintains the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). GCC can compile programs written in C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, and Java*. One compiler, many uses. Front-ends for other languages exist, but have not been integrated into GCC. But it is endlessly adaptable, so you can write your own if you need something in particular. GCC is designed for the widest range of cross-platform development— Intel, Alpha, Sun, Apple,and so forth — from 64-bit to embedded devices.