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GCC 4.1 Released

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the compile-that-compiler dept.

Luineancaion writes "Looks like GCC 4.1 has been released. From what I know this includes the GNU Classpath merge and means that Azureus can now be used in a 100% Free-Software system. Thanks to everyone that worked on it, and keep up the good work!"

15 of 343 comments (clear)

  1. But... by brilinux · · Score: 5, Funny

    But I just finished compiling 4.0...

    1. Re:But... by strider44 · · Score: 5, Informative

      You're making too much of this. Between 4.0 and 4.1 isn't that big-a change. The only reason why it took so long for many distros to move between 3.3 and 3.4/4.0 was the change in the binary interface between the compilers. In other words a program compiled with 4.0 couldn't link to a library compiled with 3.3. There isn't this restriction between 4.0 and 4.1 so there's no reason why it can't go into the repositories straight after testing.

    2. Re:But... by digidave · · Score: 5, Funny

      "But I just finished compiling 4.0"

      You should have compiled it using 4.1. It's *much* faster.

      --
      The global economy is a great thing until you feel it locally.
  2. Home depot by Stevyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most people who program, myself included as an engineering student, probably take this for granted, but GCC is like having a Home Depot down the street that gives their stuff away. For no cost, anyone can use these tools to create just about anything they want. It's pretty amazing, and fitting for Thanksgiving to show some appreciation, that we all have access to these incredible tools for free.

    1. Re:Home depot by Lisandro · · Score: 5, Informative

      GCC is an impressive piece of software - either considered asopen source or in general. A lot of people preffer more "serious" C/C++ compilers, like Intels', but it's a remarkably good compiler by itself, very fast, produces stable and well optimized code AND it is available for every platform you could dream of developing on. Ah, and constantly improving support for other languages (specially Java) is a nice perk aswell :)

          It's safe to say that if we have a healthy OSS community, is because of the great developing tools available on OSS platforms. GCC is a strong contender for that crown, IMHO.

  3. Know and love GCC by JoeShmoe950 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As a developer, I love GCC. Its great, easy, and best of all free. GCC is probably one of the most benifical open source projects around, more important even than linux.

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  4. GCC is the Key to Open Source's Success by slashfun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For 13 years I have been a professional UNIX administrator, and if I had to pin down the single most influential software that help propel the Open Source revolution, I would name GCC.

    Back in the day the first step in loading up a UNIX workstation with Open Source tools, was to go out and grab a limited precompiled version of GCC, then bootstrap compile an more suitable version, then go to town on compiling all the rest of the goodies that we couldn't live without. We did it so often that it became second nature to go through this process.

    I salute you, makers and maintainers of GCC.

    --

    Slashmail.org "The Open Source Email Company"

    1. Re:GCC is the Key to Open Source's Success by jbn-o · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Please do take this in the supportive spirit in which it is intended. It's a letter from GCC's initial author, Richard Stallman (also founder of the free software movement) to a CNet article author who referred to GCC as an "open source" programming tool.

      Quoting from that letter:

      I appreciate the admiration expressed in your article about upgrading the GNU Compiler Collection, but it erred in describing the program as an "open source" programming tool. I developed GCC as part of the Free Software Movement--so that people can use computers in freedom as part of a community.

      Free software means software that respects the users' freedom. The philosophy of the movement is that users of software should be free to run it, study it, change it, redistribute it and publish modified versions.

      With these freedoms, you're free to engage in cooperative development; you're also free to develop it on your own or to redistribute it unchanged. Describing this as a "philosophy of cooperative development" emphasizes one beneficial consequence of freedom at the expense of freedom itself.

      It was impossible in 1984 to use a computer in freedom, since all the operating systems were proprietary. So I launched the development of GNU, a free Unix-like operating system.

      A Unix-like system must include a C compiler, so I wrote one: GCC. I designed it to handle other languages, also, so that GNU users could use more than one. GCC, like the GNU/Linux operating system in which GCC is a crucial part, exists because of the ideals of the Free Software Movement--the ideals that are forgotten when speaking of open source.

      Of course, this is not a letter from RMS to you or directly pertaining to your article. However, I thought that it was worth mentioning in case people want to tell their friends about the new GCC release. It seems that people who frequent /. go to some length to make sure that they describe Linus Torvalds' initial authorship of the Linux kernel in a manner according to his chosen movement. I thought that the same respect should be due to RMS.

      --
      Digital Citizen
  5. Azureus by DavidLeeRoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    Azurues can now be used in a 100% free system to download not so free software :)

  6. That's good. by Sheepdot · · Score: 5, Funny

    From what I know this includes the GNU Classpath merge and means that Azureus can now be used in a 100% Free-Software system.

    That's good for us, considering that the #1 use of Azureus is to pirate 100% commercial software.

  7. Re:Changelog? by Yotsuya · · Score: 5, Informative

    Google to the rescue.

    http://gcc.gnu.org/gcc-4.1/changes.html

    --
    Claude Angers
  8. Actually, it's not released yet by Dan+Berlin · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm not sure what gave the person who submitted the story, or the editor who posted the story, the idea that 4.1 was released, but it isn't. In fact, it was just branched less than a week ago. We haven't even put out an RC yet! Really, it's not out. When it is, you will see something sent to gcc-announce

  9. Still not released by lancelott · · Score: 5, Informative

    GCC 4.1.0 is not yet out as far as I know. This story is misleading. Just because the site lists 4.1.0 on the front does not mean it is out. Notice that it doesn't have a release date on it.

  10. Re:I'm thinking of contributing to GCC... by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Depends. Did you get an A++ in your graduate-level compiler construction class? Are you willing to spend a couple months (or more) reading through the gcc source code to get an understanding of how all the pieces work. Are you willing to spend a few more months testing your optimizations (mathematically and with source code) to make sure they don't break anything?

    The basics of compilers aren't difficult. 2nd year CS students can understand toy compilers. But gcc isn't a toy compiler, it's a real compiler in the real world dealing with a sometimes crazy language, and even crazier users. If you can write better optimizing code, prove it works, and it doesn't infringe on any patents, submit your code.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  11. Some minor corrections ... by ghakko · · Score: 5, Informative

    GCC 4.1 has not been released yet.

    A modified version of Classpath has been included with GCJ since 3.2.

    Azureus may start in GIJ 4.0, but won't work properly because it relies on parts of the Sun JDK which aren't completely implemented yet in GCJ.