an installation bug in either gcc, gld, or readline -- I don't know which

[Andrew Koenig]

>> Ah, that's interesting.  So I guess I could try changing my PATH to put
>> /bin/ld ahead of /usr/gnu/bin/ld when installing readline and see what happens.

Phil> My guess would be:  Bad Things.

Phil> The -shared option, among others, /is/ translated by the compiler driver into
Phil> linker-specific options.  One of the most common bug reports we get occurs
Phil> when Solaris users configure GCC to use {Sun,GNU} linkers and assemblers,
Phil> but at runtime "the other one" is actually found.

That makes sense.  Sigh.

Phil> Ideally, readline and suchlike need to ask GCC "hey, what linker are you
Phil> using?" and GCC needs to answer in a portable way.  Right now this isn't
Phil> possible at either end.  Hmmm...

Phil> I think I ended up installing two copies of GCC on my Solaris boxes:
Phil> the default uses GNU backend tools, and for those packages which care,
Phil> another copy uses only Sun tools.

Ouch!  Surely there must be an easier way.

>> It's a mountain pass in Norway named Trollstigveien.  It is even more
>> astonishing in person than in the photo.

Phil> Thanks!  (Boy, our guess was so wrong...)

What was your guess?



						Regards,


						Andrew Koenig