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Re: gcc version issue trying to install vmware5



On Monday 13 June 2005 09:25, Goswin von Brederlow wrote:
>
> Changing the link breaks your debian system.

this is not true.

I've had this link pointing to gcc-3.4 since quite a while. Every time gcc 
must be reinstalled (which is not often) i simply replace the link. 

everything works, nothing is broken. 

Beside, wat could this break ? 

> If you must then create a /usr/local/bin/gcc. Debian won't overwrite that.

in what way would this be different ? if changing the link breaks Debian, why 
would this not ? it has the same effect (hint : no packages use /usr/bin/gcc, 
and they shouldn't) .


>> "gcc" package insists that gcc -> gcc-3.3.
>
>And rightly so.

Wrong. It should guard the (current) default, and not prevent people from 
changing it.

Beside, when setting this default, it should use the "alternative" method 
Debian has perfected, and which is used by most other packages specifically 
for this purpose.

Even so, I do agree that on upgrade, package gcc should want to restore the 
current gcc to the default version Debian is using. It most definitly should 
_ask_ before doing so. 


>> I'd much prefer to set an environment variable as well, but it's going to
>> require a deeper understanding of the module compilation subsystem of the
>> 2.6 kernel.  Both CC and HOSTCC seem to be ignored.
>
> Did you export it?

that doesn't help.

The Makefile that comes with the kernel.org source clobbers any existing CC 
and HOSTCC.
I don't think Debian has changed that behavior.


>> I think that the kernel doesn't and the nvidia modules 
>> _need_ the 3.4 version.  

>The kernel doesn't use gcc. It uses gcc-3.4 because that is the 
>only one that can build 64bit kernels on i386.

1) the kernel build system as provided by kernel.org uses gcc. Not a specific 
gcc, just any available gcc (nearly, it does check for really old gccs). 
2) using gcc-3.3 to build a amd64 kernel is not efficient, but the resulting 
kernel will boot without any trouble, even if a bit slow. It is not broken in 
anyway (try it!).

>Any kernel modules you build also have to use gcc-3.4 and not gcc.

All kernel modules should be compiled using the exact same gcc as the 
one used to compile the kernel. if you use gcc-3.3 for the kernel, modules 
should use that too. 
If one module (nvidia) requires gcc version 3.4 or higher, then the kernel and 
all other modules must be recompiled to use that same gcc.

Just for the record : changing the kernel Makefile (as Debian apparently did) 
to force a specific gcc is IMNSHO dumb.


>
>But that doesn't mean gcc-3.4 should be THE gcc.
>

Goswin, nobody claimed that. They just want easy choice. 

what about changing package gcc to check available versions of gcc, and asking 
the user the one they want to ?

Don't worry, I'm still using Debian, and I don't plan to change.

Ernest ter Kuile.
a developer.



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