[LinuxBIOS] help from ubuntu and FC6 experts

[Segher Boessenkool]

> Maybe it would be an idea to create a very simple LinuxBIOS  
> toolchain system where from a small SVN download, one can have a  
> clean build environment using a pseudo cross-compile environment  
> with a clean compiler per the 'latest' LinuxBIOS suggestion.

Building a cross-compilation toolchain on a fast machine takes
about 10 minutes, while building LinuxBIOS should take about
2 seconds.

Also, you might *want* to use a "non-default" toolchain.

> I personally use either Buildroot or another really interesting  
> environment called openwrt (which has a really neat build  
> environment aimed at the low-cost broadcom chip-based router  
> environment), but essentially with these environments, one does an  
> SVN checkout which downloads a series of scripts and makefiles, and  
> from that a make creates a completely new toolchain from the  
> specified known sources.

You might want to check out Dan Kegel's excellent "crosstool".

> The really great thing about this is that one then has a KNOWN  
> toolchain and all compiles are done with this KNOWN toolchain.  
> Removes a whole lot of crap from the entire build environment, and,  
> it generally works on ANY Linux platform - sure, there are some  
> issues on OSX etc, but it does sure make a clean Linux build  
> environment.

I regularly build the Linux kernel on OSX -- all it takes are some
fixes to Linux itself, none toolchain related -- and certainly no
fixes to the toolchain itself.

> This may be a resolution to the screwed toolchains supplied in  
> certain distros.

That much is true, but it's a really heavy-handed solution.

An option might be to include a script to build (and install)
a toolchain as an optional preparation step for building LB.

> I personally stopped using ANY flavour of redhat about 5 years ago  
> when they released 7.1 with totally screwed beta compilers, which  
> just broke everything.

"2.96".  Yeah I still feel the pain.

> ever tried to tell RH that they introduced a bug in the compiler  
> toolchain??? I think it would probably have fallen on deaf ears.

You should have tried though.


Segher