Re: [gtk-list] Re: gcc-2.8.1 (was Re: Unidentified subject!)

[Erik Mouw <J A K Mouw its tudelft nl>]

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 16:29:04 +0100 (GMT), Andrew Wood wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, Erik Mouw wrote:
>> No. You really need gcc 2.7.2.3 to compile the Linux kernel, plain
>> gcc-2.8.1 and egcs-1.1.2 can't be used. I don't know if it is possible
>> with RedHat 5.0 to have both the gcc 2.7.2.3 and 2.8.1 packages on the
>> same machine.
> 
> Sorry that this is off-topic for this list, but I feel compelled to point
> out that this is not necessarily true. I have been using gcc-2.8.1 to
> compile the Linux kernel for the last 3 stable versions at least and have
> had no problems (other than more warnings than with previous versions).
> No idea about egcs though - you're probably right.

It seems to work with Linux 2.0, but it breaks with 2.[123] because of the
stricter type aliasing. Also, the fact that the inline stuff has changed
in gcc-2.8.1 and egcs makes Linux kernels compiled with those compilers a
lot slower, especially in the TCP networking. It all depends a bit on the
kernel configuration, but I was't be able to produce a working 2.1.1xx
kernel with gcc-2.8.1. The fact that Linus recommends the use of
gcc-2.7.2.3 for the Linux kernel says enough, IMHO. Read the egsc
mailinglist archives (available somewhere at http://egcs.cygnus.com/) to
see what's going on. Including a nice flamewar.

> Compiling gcc-2.8.1 is not particularly difficult so long as you keep
> your previous gcc hanging around until you're sure you have installed
> everything properly - and you _read_the_instructions_. But using the Red
> Hat package is probably the sensible thing to do, especially if you're not
> used to "rolling your own"...

I won't recommend compiling *any* version of gcc to someone who already
shows to have problems compiling a relatively siple package like GTK+. Rpm
was made to avoid these problems.

OK, let's drop this thread, we're getting off-topic (but it is fun ;-).

The original poster should use rpm to upgrade to gcc-2.8.1 or egcs-1.1.2,
or better: upgrade to RedHat 6.0, in which case he gets an updated
compiler, and also an updated glib and gtk.


Erik

-- 
J.A.K. (Erik) Mouw, Information and Communication Theory Group, Department
of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology and Systems,
Delft University of Technology, PO BOX 5031,  2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Phone: +31-15-2785859  Fax: +31-15-2781843  Email J.A.K.Mouw@its.tudelft.nl
WWW: http://www-ict.its.tudelft.nl/~erik/