Subject: bug#13912: Feedback on coreutils 8.13

From: Bob Proulx <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:24:23 -0600

Ellis N. Thomas wrote:
> 	As you have appreciated, I seem to have been caught in a "can't do
> this until you have done that" sequence!  But I now seem ready to
> proceed with building gcc.

Not to stop someone from working the problem and doing a good job of
it but it might be easier to simply install a GNU/Linux software
distribution on a system.  Then you would get everything all working
all at the same time.  It would probably be the easier way to go.  But
certainly if you are willing to work through the problems then I have
no doubt that you will have it working on your system.

> 	You finished by saying "The rest of the story needs to be read
> by someone who actually knows MacOS." - does this mean someone else
> will contact me, or do I need to forward any information?  See also
> below about config.log.

It was a comment that Alan had already spoken what he knew and didn't
know more about MacOS to say any more than that.  And I am in the same
position.  I don't use MacOS and so know nothing about it.  I can only
suggest that someone else who knows about MacOS would need to jump in
and help.  This is like tag team wrestling.  Except we have no idea if
there is someone else to jump in or not.

This is a free(dom) software project.  People voluteer time and
resources because we think it is worthwhile.  There is no paid
support.  Any help comes from people who volunteer the help out of the
goodness of their heart.  If someone is using MacOS and has
information then I am sure they will jump in and volunteer help.  But
there is no coordination on our end for it.

Most of us use the GNU system.  That is the whole point of it after
all.  We are "eating our own dogfood" as they say.  So I think it is
unlikely that we would have someone here who has bootstrapped
themselves using an Apple system.  Unlikely.  But who knows?

> By the way my background is that I have retired after working some
> years in the development of software for embedded systems (defence
> and aerospace).  When I was in Cambridge University, England,
> studying Computer Science, my supervisor was Stephen Bourne, who
> seems to be the same person that later produced the Bourne Shell.
> But my college course in 1969 was before Unix was developed!

Thank you for sharing that interesting history!  You were indeed lucky
to have been involved at the very beginning.  It has been an
interesting time for certain.

Although it might take some time to make the tools to make the tools
to make the tools I am sure that if you persevere that you will be
able to bootstrap yourself to a fully working system.  Please take
notes along the way and make those available to others who might want
to follow in your footsteps.

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Bob