linux-kernel - Re: [RFC] minimum gcc version for kernel: raise to gcc-4.3 or 4.6?

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Date:   Sat, 22 Apr 2017 04:10:08 +0100 (BST)
From:   "Maciej W. Rozycki" <macro@...ux-mips.org>
To:     Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
cc:     Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
        linux-arch <linux-arch@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-kbuild <linux-kbuild@...r.kernel.org>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-arm-kernel@...ts.infradead.org" 
        <linux-arm-kernel@...ts.infradead.org>,
        Russell King <rmk+kernel@...linux.org.uk>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        kernel-build-reports@...ts.linaro.org, kvmarm@...ts.cs.columbia.edu
Subject: Re: [RFC] minimum gcc version for kernel: raise to gcc-4.3 or 4.6?

On Fri, 21 Apr 2017, Kees Cook wrote:

> > The linux-4.2 x86 defconfig could still be built with gcc-4.0, but
> > later kernels have several minor problems with that, and
> > require at least gcc-4.3.
> >
> > If we are ok with this status quo, we could simply declare gcc-4.3
> > the absolute minimum version for the kernel, make gcc-4.9
> > the recommeded minimum version, and remove all workarounds
> > for gcc-4.2 or older.
> 
> I think starting with this would be a good first step. I'm not sure
> the best way to add "recommended minimum" to
> Documentation/process/changes.rst hmmm

 FWIW for some reasons (mainly the ability to avoid NPTL) I have stuck to 
GCC 4.1.2 with some MIPS configurations and I've had no issues with that 
compiler up to Linux 4.6.0, which is the last kernel version I have tried 
with that compiler so far.  I could check if anything has regressed since 
then I suppose.

  Maciej