diff mbox

adjust installation docs to discourage installing GMP, MPFR and MPC separately

Message ID CAH6eHdTbEr-Ucp_DLDg+iu_VoS7BmEL+z-UuqCouKx30EsY5Jg@mail.gmail.com
State New
Headers show

Commit Message

Jonathan Wakely Dec. 30, 2011, 1:29 p.m. UTC 
On 22 December 2011 00:23, Jonathan Wakely wrote:
> The most frequently asked question on gcc-help, and a frequently
> reported "bug" in bugzilla, is
> http://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/FAQ#configure_suffix
>
> It is almost always caused by installing libgmp.so etc. in a
> non-standard location and not using ldconfig, DT_RUNPATH,
> $LD_LIBRARY_PATH or some other method to tell the dynamic linker how
> to find them.  The current installation docs mention --with-gmp right
> away, which probably gives the impression that it's the recommended
> method, whereas it actually causes problems for the majority of users
> who don't understand dynamic linker search paths.  I think rewording
> the installation docs to suggest building the support libs as part of
> GCC first, and only using --with-gmp second, might steer people in the
> right direction.
>
> Separately, I also plan to write an "Installing GCC" page on the GCC
> wiki which (among other things) discourages installing the support
> libraries by hand, recommending installing prebuilt packages in
> standard system dirs instead, or if that's not an option then using
> contrib/download_prerequisites to get the sources and build them
> in-tree.
>
>
>        * doc/install.text (Prerequisites): Suggest building GMP, MPFR and
>        MPC as part of GCC before describing configuring with --with-gmp etc.
>
> Tested by running "make doc" and viewing the resulting .info pages, OK
> for trunk?

Here's an updated patch which also adjusts the --with-gmp docs in the
Configuration chapter to mention the option of putting the support lib
sources under the GCC sources

        * doc/install.texi (Prerequisites): Suggest building GMP, MPFR and
        MPC as part of GCC before describing configuring with --with-gmp etc.
        (Installing GCC: Configuration): State that --with-gmp etc. aren't
        needed if sources are present.

OK for trunk?
diff mbox

Patch

Index: doc/install.texi
===================================================================
--- doc/install.texi	(revision 182629)
+++ doc/install.texi	(working copy)
@@ -333,32 +333,35 @@  newer versions, though.
 @table @asis
 @item GNU Multiple Precision Library (GMP) version 4.3.2 (or later)
 
-Necessary to build GCC@.  If you do not have it installed in your
+Necessary to build GCC@.  If a GMP source distribution is found in a
+subdirectory of your GCC sources named @file{gmp}, it will be built
+together with GCC, this avoids the need to build GMP separately.
+Alternatively, if GMP is already installed but it is not in your
 library search path, you will have to configure with the
 @option{--with-gmp} configure option.  See also @option{--with-gmp-lib}
-and @option{--with-gmp-include}.  Alternatively, if a GMP source
-distribution is found in a subdirectory of your GCC sources named
-@file{gmp}, it will be built together with GCC@.
+and @option{--with-gmp-include}.
 
 @item MPFR Library version 2.4.2 (or later)
 
 Necessary to build GCC@.  It can be downloaded from
-@uref{http://www.mpfr.org/}.  The @option{--with-mpfr} configure
-option should be used if your MPFR Library is not installed in your
-default library search path.  See also @option{--with-mpfr-lib} and
-@option{--with-mpfr-include}.  Alternatively, if a MPFR source
-distribution is found in a subdirectory of your GCC sources named
-@file{mpfr}, it will be built together with GCC@.
+@uref{http://www.mpfr.org/}.  If an MPFR source distribution is found
+in a subdirectory of your GCC sources named @file{mpfr}, it will be
+built together with GCC, this avoids the need to build MPFR separately.
+Alternatively, if MPFR is already installed but it is not in your
+default library search path, the @option{--with-mpfr} configure
+option should be used.  See also @option{--with-mpfr-lib} and
+@option{--with-mpfr-include}.
 
 @item MPC Library version 0.8.1 (or later)
 
 Necessary to build GCC@.  It can be downloaded from
-@uref{http://www.multiprecision.org/}.  The @option{--with-mpc}
-configure option should be used if your MPC Library is not installed
-in your default library search path.  See also @option{--with-mpc-lib}
-and @option{--with-mpc-include}.  Alternatively, if an MPC source
-distribution is found in a subdirectory of your GCC sources named
-@file{mpc}, it will be built together with GCC@.
+@uref{http://www.multiprecision.org/}.  If an MPC source distribution
+is found in a subdirectory of your GCC sources named @file{mpc}, it
+will be built together with GCC, this avoids the need to build MPC
+separately.  Alternatively, if MPC is already installed but it is
+not in your default library search path, the @option{--with-mpc}
+configure option should be used.  See also @option{--with-mpc-lib}
+and @option{--with-mpc-include}.
 
 @item Parma Polyhedra Library (PPL) version 0.11
 
@@ -1608,9 +1611,10 @@  When neither of these configure options 
 @itemx --with-mpc=@var{pathname}
 @itemx --with-mpc-include=@var{pathname}
 @itemx --with-mpc-lib=@var{pathname}
-If you do not have GMP (the GNU Multiple Precision library), the MPFR
-library and/or the MPC library installed in a standard location and
-you want to build GCC, you can explicitly specify the directory where
+If you want to build GCC but do not have GMP (the GNU Multiple Precision
+library), the MPFR library and/or the MPC library installed in a
+standard location and don't have their sources present in the GCC
+source tree then you can explicitly specify the directory where
 they are installed (@samp{--with-gmp=@var{gmpinstalldir}},
 @samp{--with-mpfr=@/@var{mpfrinstalldir}},
 @samp{--with-mpc=@/@var{mpcinstalldir}}).  The