gcc 3.0 and linux kernel

[Brian Dessent]

Kashif wrote:

> I am using a compiler which supports gnu extensions uptil gcc 3.0. As
> gcc is used to compile the linux kernel I was wondering at max which
> kernel version can be compiled with gcc 3.0?  Or is it the case that
> gnu extensions with gcc 3.0 are pretty much the same as those that are
> supported in the latest release?


This is not really a question of the capabilities of gcc but rather of
how the kernel is coded.  It is tied very closely to gcc, to the point
where it has a number of version-specific #ifdefs.  It's really more a
question for LKML than here.

You should read the file Documentation/Changes, which for any given
kernel should tell you the minimum required version of gcc.  As far as I
can tell, kernel 2.6.16 (20-Mar-2006) dropped all support for gcc < 3.2
so don't even bother trying to compile it or anything more recent with
your ancient gcc.

Brian