Re: What libgcj version should I use?

[Tom Tromey <tromey at redhat dot com>]

>>>>> "Bryan" == Bryan Henderson <bryanh@giraffe-data.com> writes:

Bryan> The download.html page on the gcj website says the current
Bryan> official version of libgcj (2.95.1) is broken

These are both true.

There hasn't been an official public release of libgcj since 2.95.1.

However, 2.95.1 has serious limitations.  There's really no comparison
between it and the current cvs libgcj.  The same situation holds for
the compiler.  The class of applications for which 2.95.1 is usable is
much smaller than the class for the current cvs tools.

Bryan> Doesn't this deserve more comment?  Is there a version that
Bryan> isn't broken?  One that the developers recommend?  Or is it a
Bryan> disingenuous statement and 2.95.1 really is the right version?

I don't think it is disingenuous.  It just depends on what your needs
are.

If you need stability and the ability the get a compiler built, but
don't need many features, then 2.95.1 might be a reasonable choice.

If you are running Red Hat 7.0, then using the gcj that came with it
would be more reasonable.

If you need newer features and have either run into the limitation of
the RH7 compiler or if you can't run RH7 then you might want to choose
the cvs gcj/libgcj.  (Sorry to harp on RH7 so much; I just don't know
which other OSs, if any, bundle gcj or what version they might
include.)  Unfortunately, as others can attest, sometimes getting the
cvs gcc to build can be a trial.

Tom