Benefits of gcc4?

[Alan McKinnon]

On Monday 15 May 2006 07:42, Erik Christiansen wrote:
> On Fri, May 12, 2006 at 04:02:53PM +0200, Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > I'm looking at starting to use gcc4 for general use, currently
> > using 3.3.6, and was wondering if there are any specific benefits
> > or gotchas. I'm looking for fairly deep info, eg the kernel
> > config makes specific mention of inlines and how hopefully 4 will
> > make this unnecessary.
>
> Alan,
>
> Regarding general use, we've been using gcc-4.0.2 for
> cross-compilation to v850e target for 7 months now, without any
> problems that would be relevant to the native compiler.
>
> We only inline stuff when we want to, so I can't talk about the
> need for it in the linux kernel.
>
> > I reason that it's only a matter of time before most distros have
> > switched and I want to get ahead of the pack with experience
> > _before_ it's commonplace.
>
> Is it updating the kernel code that delays compiler upgrading?


I believe so - Ubuntu proved that 4.0 works for userspace apps, but 
kernel space is always a different matter. Look how long it took for 
the kernel developers to get around to saying that gcc 3.3.x is OK

No-one else I've asked anywhere has experience in this area, so it 
looks like it's time to dust off the trusty LFS book and get 
started :-)

-- 
If only me, you and dead people understand hex, 
how many people understand hex?

Alan McKinnon
alan at linuxholdings dot co dot za
+27 82, double three seven, one nine three five