Hallo Richard!

 RF> so you do think that an operating system install that lacks a GCC
 RF> compiler is, for lack of a better expression, not worth it?

Yes.  Also I might turn it up a notch and say that an operating system install
that lacks a GCC isn't really an operating system, and hence not worth it even
if it is free and required zero effort on the part of the user if indeed it
will attract a user of said system in the first place.

 RF> But, hmmmm, if you are setting up for learning, and are running a
 RF> single instance, then I think you actually need a good set of
 RF> development tools in it.

I believe EVERY single instance of ALL unix enviroments are required to have a
working c enviroment in order to truly be called a unix enviroment.  Not only
does gcc and friends count as a working c enviroment it exceeds that general
idea and therefore the LFS ideology perhaps is the best document there
currently is as far as linux-gnu developemt is concerned.  Anything less would
be a shiny example of what is wrong with a more Microsoft-ish enviroment which
is what I see distributions like Debian.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

... Huil niet om mij, ik heb vi.
--- GNU bash, version 5.0.11(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)