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Date:      Tue, 29 Aug 2000 00:04:07 -0500
From:      David Kelly <dkelly@hiwaay.net>
To:        andrew@scoop.co.nz
Cc:        freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Why is gcc version so old? 
Message-ID:  <200008290504.AAA41845@nospam.hiwaay.net>
In-Reply-To: Message from Andrew McNaughton <andrew@scoop.co.nz>  of "Tue, 29 Aug 2000 15:33:37 %2B1200." <Pine.BSF.3.96.1000829152951.14120A-100000@aurora.scoop.co.nz> 

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Andrew McNaughton writes:
> 
> Using a FreeBSD-3.4 box, I notice that it uses gcc version 2.7.2.3.  This
> came out in January 1997, which seems rather an old version to use.  Can
> anyone tell me why this is so?

Its one of the advantages of FreeBSD. A utility which does its job is 
worth more than a newer version which doesn't. At work I still use a 
1991 version of the Introl 68HC11 C compiler. Have the latest too. But 
the old one is what I've always used for production. And the old one 
runs on my Mac when the new doesn't. BTW: Introl distributes NetBSD 
binaries of their Motorola cross compiling tools. But (strange) the 
Linux binaries are easier to use under FreeBSD.

I'll never forget walking by a table at a "computer show" where two 
kids were holding a different Linux distribution each and where 
comparing the version numbers of all the included utilities to 
determine which was "best."

In short, FreeBSD lets Linux users find the bugs in FSF code.




--
David Kelly N4HHE, dkelly@hiwaay.net
=====================================================================
The human mind ordinarily operates at only ten percent of its
capacity -- the rest is overhead for the operating system.




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