Old kernels and new compilers

Old kernels and new compilers

It is getting increasingly hard to find a current distribution with a compiler old enough to build 2.4 kernels, so these administrators are finding themselves in a bit of a bind. A 2.4 kernel which could be compiled with a current gcc would allow current systems to be used to build kernels for deployment on stable, production systems, many of which may not have their own compilers installed at all.

A bit odd argument: It is quite easy to install an older GCC sufficient for building a kernel with it, especially since you only have to build the C part, not C++ etc. Building the C support of, say, GCC 2.95.3 takes less time than konfiguring and building a 2.4 kernel...