On Nov 2, 10:20pm, Hawke wrote: > Basically, I am wondering what redhat software was thinking when they > decided to increase their version number to 7. it should be more like > 6.5! The change to gcc-2.96 (along with gcc-2.96 compiled binaries) alone was enough to merit the increase of the version number to 7. The reason is because 2.96 uses an ABI that is not compatible with versions of gcc used in previous versions. Anyway, it's Red Hat's intent to have anything within the same major version number of the OS operate seamlessly with regard to the ABIs and libraries. (And I think they've been largely successful with this approach.) I'm not altogether happy about the decision to deploy gcc-2.96 which is actually a development snapshot instead of an official FSF release, but there were some good reasons for it, primarily if you're a C++ developer. The problem is that in gcc-3.0, the ABI will change again, and will likely not be compatible with gcc-2.96. So, there would've come a time when Red Hat (and other distros, if they want use the latest/greatest gcc) would've had to bite the bullet and break ABI compatibility with previous versions. Red Hat's choice of gcc-2.96 means that they'll have to do it twice which is something that probably should have been avoided. However, I think Red Hat would've been criticized no matter what they did on this compiler issue. If they would've been more conservative and stayed with egcs-2.91.66 which is getting rather long in the tooth, they would've been criticized by C++ developers for not releasing a more modern compiler which addresses their concerns. Kevin From Anthony Walsh" Hello Members, Just wanted to throw something out... I NEED UNIX PEOPLE BAD. Yesterday I posted out several positions, that is only the beginning. I have about 30 Unix openings, from Unix Administrators, to Unix Operations. Interested? Give me a call today at 602-240-7711 Ext. #14. Thanks, Anthony G. Walsh Account Manager awalsh@itconnections.com IT Connections, Inc. 602.240.7711 Ext. 14 Your Source For Efficient, Effective IT Expertise.