Subj : Re: installing older version of gcc/g++
To   : comp.os.linux
From : Thomas D. Shepard
Date : Fri Jul 30 2004 09:26 pm

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 14:29:42 +0000, Frank G wrote:

> How in the world do you install an older version of gcc/g++?  ie.. 2.96 
> when 3.2.3 is installed? Don't ask why just have too do it as the 2.4.21 
> kernel will not compile with 3.2.3 it seems. 2.4.26 will but can not use 
> that one.
> 
> Problem with reverting back is that there are so many dependencies 
> between packages even when using --oldpackage on rpm you get errors.
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> FRank
I do this by installing the earlier version under a different prefix (/opt
in my case). If you install from source code, everything you need is very
nicely explained in the Linux-from-scratch book. See
www.linuxfromscratch.org. You can probably make rpm do the same thing. It
is possible that installing from scratch is easier than trying to find
some way to trick rpm into doing what you want instead of what rpm
thinks it knows that you want.

When you install from scratch, the typical automake-based package has a
number of config options that allow you to control which versions of
whatever get chosen.

There are lots of reasons why one would want to do this. Last time I
checked, the linux kernel developers were still recommending that kernels
be build with version 2.95. I have encountered a number of applications
that require the older gcc. One that comes to mind is the linux drivers
for Epson printers and scanners that the enlightened programmers at Epkowa
are providing for us.
-- 
Thomas D. Shepard
Sorry, you can't email me.
(Email address is fake.)

.