On Fri, 28 Aug 1998, Nicholas Bodley wrote:
To compile the kernel, you usulally don't have to edit the makefile. Just
use make menuconfig.
Compiler options can be complicated, but you don't need them all (man gcc
lists a few hundred I think). Normally, you would need -o (output), -c
(make an object file), -I (include dir) -l (library), maybe -Wall (more
warnings), and maybe -O -O1 -O2 -O3 (various levels of optimization).
If you want to use -m68000 or something like that, make sure you have a
m68k machine to run your program on ;-)
Anyway, if you compile a program you downloaded, usually the makefile is
correct (the original programmer usually compiles his program before
shipping it)
Frank
>
> Maybe someone can reassure me about compiling. Seems that the details of
> anything but the simplest compilation are controlled by a make file
> (makefile?). However, I get the feeling that one needs to be a
> fairly-experienced programmer to be sure that the contents of a makefile
> are correct, so in my case, I feel I'm trusting to luck and the
> competence of the creator of the makefile. In practice, I probably have
> little to worry about.
>
> Another worry is about command-line switches. While I can use the more
> commonplace switches OK for things like ls, rm, head, tail, etc.,
> compiler switches seem scary; maybe they need not be.
>
> What I feel (and I'm probably quite wrong) is that if I were to try to
> compile a kernel, for instance, some detail (such as a wrong switch
> setting) would prevent success. Maybe the combination of an error log,
> properly reported, ditto a description/list of the important params.,
> and generous people on this List should be likely to solve things.
>
> It's also likely that a well-written HOWTO contains carefully-written
> instructions on specific switch and other option settings, etc.
>
> Basically, still trying to get over the feeling that compiling is
> something done successfully only by experienced programmers.
>
> Fortunately, there's no hurry!
>
> |* Nicholas Bodley *|* Electronic Technician {*} Autodidact & Polymath
> |* Waltham, Mass. *|* -----------------------------------------------
> |* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *|* The personal computer industry will have become
> |* Amateur musician *|* mature when crashes become unacceptable.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
