But, I just found out that you may just use 'make DESTDIR=path-to-rootdir
install' as mentioned at http://gcc.gnu.org/install/finalinstall.html to
have it install (temporarily) to a different location.
I did read that bit, but seeing as I wasn't sure what a "temporary staging area" or "chroot jail" are, or how I could use them, I didn't try to use DESTDIR.
The include directories are basically the same for both compilers except for
the libstdc++ headers. You should not have to specify any option to gcc in
order to let it find its specific headers or libraries.
Why is it different for libstdc++ headers?
So gcc 2.96 uses /usr/local/include too? That doesn't seem to be the case on my computer. How do the compilors tell which are their (standard) headers and libraries? A file naming convention? I'm just curious.
Yes, gcc 2.96 should search /usr/local/include too because it's a standard system include directory. Generally, the /usr/local hierarchy is for use by the system administrator when installing software locally.
By 'use' I meant does it add files to this directory when installed. :) I guess it doesn't as I don't see any.
Try 'cat /dev/null | gcc -v -E -':
...] #include "..." search starts here: #include <...> search starts here: /usr/local/include /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i486-linux/3.3.3/include /usr/include [...]
What is this doing? What should it tell me? I accidentally messed up the build I made before I could test it (I will try again tomorrow once the new build is done), but from the manual I see that it should output "the commands executed to run the stages of compilation" and "stop after the preprocessing stage". I guess the trailing '-' means that there are no input files.
GCC itself does not supply many headers and libraries. Instead it uses the C
standard library of the system and other headers/libraries installed in the
standard locations (/usr/{include,lib} and /usr/local/{include,lib}) by
default.
Hmm. I didn't realise that. This could cause problems as my whole reason for wanting a more up-to-date version of gcc was that the existing one couldn't compile the C++ code I am working on. I kept getting error messages about certain aspects of the standard library not existing (it works using gcc 3.2 on a Mandrake 8.2 box).
Can I add a more up-to-date version of the standard C++ library to gcc if I install gcc under my $HOME directory? Which version normally goes with gcc 3.2.3? Can anyone tell me how I would get my install of gcc to use this library automatically?
Have a look at http://gcc.gnu.org/install/finalinstall.html which gives a good overview where the various files are to be installed.
Cheers.
Thanks Claudio!
Jonathan
