spec failure: unrecognized spec option ...

[Mike Stump]

On Thursday, May 19, 2005, at 09:23  PM, Bill Northcott wrote:
> Clearly that is the surgical solution, but what is the file there for?

No reason, or put another way, because you've installed applications 
that you never removed.  That application was an older gcc-4.0.  You 
can install your system from scratch, which will wind up removing the 
file, or you can just remove it by hand.

This issue is normally handled by a package manager, for example, 
produce from apple will remove the file (if it installed it and one 
upgrades to a newer pacakge that contains gcc-4.0 that doesn't have 
it).  If one doesn't use a package manager, well, there isn't an 
opportunity for it to be removed.

Also, I think this only afflicts people that install more than just FSF 
releases...

> I have now realised that it is not generated as part of the compiler 
> build process.

It used to be.

> In fact it is one of two files in Apple Xcode gcc-4.0 package which is 
> not derived from the source code.

?  It is.

> Presumably these files serve some purpose.  How do they affect the 
> operation of the compiler?

For the specs file, negatively.  For the other, none, as it isn't 
consulted by the compiler.  Xcode might use it however.