Re: adjust installation docs to discourage installing GMP, MPFR and MPC separately

[Jonathan Wakely <jwakely dot gcc at gmail dot com>]

On 22 December 2011 00:23, Jonathan Wakely wrote:
> The most frequently asked question on gcc-help, and a frequently
> reported "bug" in bugzilla, is
> http://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/FAQ#configure_suffix
>
> It is almost always caused by installing libgmp.so etc. in a
> non-standard location and not using ldconfig, DT_RUNPATH,
> $LD_LIBRARY_PATH or some other method to tell the dynamic linker how
> to find them. ?The current installation docs mention --with-gmp right
> away, which probably gives the impression that it's the recommended
> method, whereas it actually causes problems for the majority of users
> who don't understand dynamic linker search paths. ?I think rewording
> the installation docs to suggest building the support libs as part of
> GCC first, and only using --with-gmp second, might steer people in the
> right direction.
>
> Separately, I also plan to write an "Installing GCC" page on the GCC
> wiki which (among other things) discourages installing the support
> libraries by hand, recommending installing prebuilt packages in
> standard system dirs instead, or if that's not an option then using
> contrib/download_prerequisites to get the sources and build them
> in-tree.
>
>
> ? ? ? ?* doc/install.text (Prerequisites): Suggest building GMP, MPFR and
> ? ? ? ?MPC as part of GCC before describing configuring with --with-gmp etc.
>
> Tested by running "make doc" and viewing the resulting .info pages, OK
> for trunk?

Here's an updated patch which also adjusts the --with-gmp docs in the
Configuration chapter to mention the option of putting the support lib
sources under the GCC sources

        * doc/install.texi (Prerequisites): Suggest building GMP, MPFR and
        MPC as part of GCC before describing configuring with --with-gmp etc.
        (Installing GCC: Configuration): State that --with-gmp etc. aren't
        needed if sources are present.

OK for trunk?

Attachment: prereqs-2.txt
Description: Text document