[2424] in Depressing_Thoughts
brain-damaged compilers
jik@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jik@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sun Oct 6 01:06:01 1991
I had a special rule in the xscreensaver Imakefile to use gcc-1.39.90
(or whatever it was) because the vax "gcc" in the gnu locker had a bug
which caused xscreensaver to coredump when the screen was locked.
Well, "gcc" turned into version 1.40, so I took the special rule out,
assuming that the bug had been fixed, since it was fixed in 1.39.90
and they always say "We have fixed all known bugs" when they release a
new version.
I was wrong. And today, four or five (maybe more, I don't remember)
people sent mail to bug-sipb about xscreensaver coredumping on the
vax.
I'm pissed at myself for not testing the binary after compiling it.
I'm pissed at the FSF for breaking a bug in 1.40 that was fixed in
1.39.90. And I'm upset that I'm not going to be able to get a new
version in the locker until Sunday night.
Of course, I don't have any right to expect them to do anything, since
it's all (after all) volunteer work.
Sigh.
