Hi
This may not come as a surprise to some but I thought I would put it up anyway. Before I begin, I would just like to say that purile replies only serve to bore!

Installation of a C/C++ compiler

1) Installation on Windows - insert the CD, the setup program runs, asks me a few questions then installs a C++ compiler on my system - yes it reboots but its only my workstation so no one else is affected.

2) Installation of GCC on Linux - download the tarball, extract the tarball into a source folder, create an object folder, run the configure program - oh dear it stops with an error, look error up on web, it transpires that in order to install GCC I need to have a C compiler already installed

So just to reiterate, on Linux, in order to install a C++ compiler, I need to have a C compiler installed - WHAT IS THE POINT OF INSTALLING IT IF I ALREADY HAVE IT.

This kind of issue needs to be fixed urgently. Its not difficult to understand this; if you want your favorite OS to become mainstream then you have to understand that your common denominator is the user is is not technical in the slightest and doesnt have the time/patience/inclination to learn to be technical.

So back to my needing GCC; it was for an experiment an experiment that will now be complete using Microsoft software - unfortunate but true

Bill

Dear Bill,

I must say that I agree with you. The infinite loop of dependencies can be very troublesome for someone who has a partially defunct cerebral cortex. It is assumed that people who to code in C/C++ have basic knowledge of how compiling works.

In the linux community, however, people are kind enough to understand the problem that newbies face, and so we have binary packages such as rpm, deb and others. In a system like debian, it is actually very easy to install packages, and there are no worries about dependences. Newbies like myself stick to good ol' "apt-get"

Oh, one more thing. My english happens to be a little poor, so would you please be kind enough to tell me the meaning of the word "purile" ? Dictionary.com didn't have the meaning, but then new english words keep coming up, thats the way it is.
(Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=purile)

Here are some details about the "gcc" package: http://packages.debian.org/unstable/devel/gcc

And lastly, if you don't have a question, or an answer that is helpful, don't post. (I'm posting because I do have a question, whats the meaning of "purile" ?)

Hiya

'partially defunct cerebral cortex', oh dear, are we feeling slightly superior?

Small spelling mistake, purile = puerile = childish, immature. Always happy to help someone understand basic English.

I was running Xandros but the partition is now running Plan9 (which doesnt seem any better than Linux for installations).

Be happy in your world but remember computers are meant to make life easier!

Bill

You are comparing apples or oranges...

If you were compiling a C/C++ compiler FROM SOURCE on Windows you'd either need a bootstrapable build source (which exists to get past the chicken/egg problem) or another compiler.

Binary packages for GCC exist for every distribution under the sun that I have ever seen. I'd check the distribution CD or FTP respository.