KernelTrap: What Version Of GCC? Nov 7, 2004, 13 :00 UTC (4 Talkback[s]) (8385 reads)
"The question was recently raised on the lkml why such a wide range of GCC versions were being actively supported by the Linux kernel. One reason offered was, 'because the new compilers are a lot slower,' an argument that left some perplexed. 'Why is this an issue when compiling a kernel? How often do you compile your kernel?'
"Linux creator Linus Torvalds agreed that the speed of the compiler was indeed one of the reasons that older versions are still supported, 'for some people that is literally where _most_ of the CPU cycles go...'"
