From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S261449AbUKDCSE (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Nov 2004 21:18:04 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S261385AbUKDCRq (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Nov 2004 21:17:46 -0500 Received: from TYO206.gate.nec.co.jp ([202.32.8.206]:36509 "EHLO tyo206.gate.nec.co.jp") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S261174AbUKDCQs (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Nov 2004 21:16:48 -0500 To: Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu Cc: "Giacomo A. Catenazzi" , Matti Aarnio , Timothy Miller , Linux Kernel Mailing List Subject: Re: support of older compilers References: <41894779.10706@techsource.com> <20041103211714.GP12275@mea-ext.zmailer.org> <41894F86.7070405@debian.org> <200411032157.iA3LvA4i019705@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> From: Miles Bader Reply-To: Miles Bader System-Type: i686-pc-linux-gnu Blat: Foop Date: Thu, 04 Nov 2004 11:16:23 +0900 In-Reply-To: <200411032157.iA3LvA4i019705@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> (Valdis Kletnieks's message of "Wed, 03 Nov 2004 16:57:10 -0500") Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu writes: > However, the problem is that I probably want to compile a working > kernel *now*, not when the GCC people finally get around to fixing > the b0rkedness they added for my architecture in gcc 3.2.3. Yup, this is particuarly true with fringe architectures. E.g., you're using a compiler for your CPU that has changes not in mainstream gcc, the vendor who made them is slow in updating to new gcc versions, and their changes are complex enough that you don't want to spend the manpower to port them yourself. You've got the GPL, so of course it's of course _possible_ to do the work yourself and get a newer gcc working, but sometimes it's really nice to also have the option _not_ to do that... -Miles -- ((lambda (x) (list x x)) (lambda (x) (list x x)))