[kwlug-disc] question about querying ubuntu metapackages(?)

[Chris Frey]

On Tue, May 04, 2010 at 04:48:10PM -0400, Lori Paniak wrote:
> Question for those wiser than myself:  Why don't the compilers (gcc, g
> ++, gfortran...) in Debian/ubuntu use the update-alternatives system?
> It would seem to be a no-brainer.  Especially when my GPU code won't
> compile in gcc-4.4 but works in gcc-4.3... 

I suspect because it's a bit more than an end-user choice.  It probably
determines what compiler is used to build the entire distro.  And
depending on which architecture or version, different compiler
versions can be chosen.

This matters when the binary interface for libraries and object files
changes.  If the ABI is different between libraryes and objects files,
then you'll run into problems... either explicit or subtle.

On my system, the file /usr/share/doc/gcc/Readme.Debian sheds some more light
on the issue.

- Chris