Subject: [bug#41428] [PATCH 0/5] Wrappers for c compilers

From: Ludovic Courtès <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 May 2020 11:42:29 +0200

Hi Ryan,

Ryan Prior <[email-masked]> skribis:

> As an end-user, I want to create a manifest that to hack on some code where
> the upstream build system badly wants to use `cc' and provides no practical
> way to avoid this. At present, I have to create symlinks myself or patch the
> build system; either way is non-obvious to other people who might try and use
> my manifest when I share it.
>
> With this patch in Guix I can just specify `gcc-toolchain-wrapper' in my
> manifest and have that be the end of it. For consistency's sake I have applied
> this to all other c compilers I could find in Guix as well.

A long time ago, we decided against it, which is not to say that this is
set in stone but at least there’s a discussion to be had.  :-)

For packages, the workaround usually boils down to setting shell or
Makefile variable ‘CC’ to “gcc” or similar.  As for users, they can have
a shell alias.

In a nutshell, the reasons to not have a ‘cc’ program are that (1) it’s
easily worked around, and (2) our guideline is to follow what upstream
does, and none of these compilers provides a ‘cc’ program.  (There are
threads in the mailing list archives discussing this.)

I’m personally in favor of the status quo on this topic.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Ludo’.