GCC, symlink, and everything in between
 

First of all, thank you for opening this thread :)

I currently have gcc version 2.95 (i dont know why)

I need gcc 3.3.6

I read in some previous topics that after installing gcc with the commands that are avaliable on some sites that I might need to update the symlink (?) so that the system (suse) will recognize the newly installed gcc as the active gcc.

what is symlink? How do I update it?

also,

Is there an alternative for making the system recognize the new gcc?

Thank you very much,

Your local linux newbie

Firstly, are you sure the GCC version is really 2.95? That sounds strange since no newer distro uses it. Open up a console (it is sometimes called konsole) and type gcc -v. Which version does it report?

Secondly, A symlink is way to make a program or the system aware of a file that is in an unusual place, or if it has a name that is incorrect. For example, Firefox can't find the java plugin because it is located in /usr/java/plugin and Firefox only checks for its plugins in /usr/lib/firefox/plugins. In order to make Firefox aware of the java plugin you can create a symlink in /usr/lib/firefox/plugins that points to the java plugin like this.
ln -s /usr/java/plugins/javaplugin.so /usr/lib/firefox/plugins
Now Firefox will locate and use the java plugin even though it is in an unusual place.

is

ln -s src dst

the syntax?

yes, I have 2.95 because I thought i needed it for a program, but i need a slightly newer version

thanks again!

Which version of SusE you have?. Anyway you can use YaST -> Software -> Software Management to install and update programs.

In your case you need to update the gcc program (GNU Family of compilers), type gcc in the search box and YaST will list all the progrmas related with gcc installed, look for gcc and you'll find also the version of gcc installed. If this line is blue it means that you can update it, so you just click the thick besides gcc click Accept and YaST will install it for you. If you have this line in black it means that you have the latest version installed. Chances are that your only installation source is the DVD or set of CDs of the installation. if you want to access more packages and the latest versions you need to add an installation source from the internet.

A symlink is an abbreviation of "Symbolic link", it's an special file without any content that just points to another directory, in this case to the directory where gcc has been installed. If you use YaST, it will take care of updating the program and configure it (change the symbolic link among other things).