PDLPorters / PDLPorters/SciPDL

Test build with Homebrew gcc/gfortran instead of fxcoudert installer

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Dominant language
Shell
Stars
3
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PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

The current SciPDL build expects gcc and gfortran from François-Xavier Coudert's standalone macOS installer at https://github.com/fxcoudert/gfortran-for-macOS/releases (installed under /usr/local/gfortran/ with symlinks at /usr/local/bin/gcc and /usr/local/bin/gfortran). The gfortran-static wrapper script hardcodes /usr/local/bin/gfortran.

Homebrew also offers brew install gcc which provides gcc-14, gfortran-14 etc. under /opt/homebrew/bin/. This has not been tested with the SciPDL build flow as of v2.104.

Tasks
  • Try a clean build with Homebrew GCC instead of fxcoudert's GCC
  • Likely needs gfortran-static updated to point at /opt/homebrew/bin/gfortran-14 (or whatever the current Homebrew naming is)
  • Check that the various manual gfortran re-link commands in build_scipdl.sh (Slatec, Minuit, FFTW3, GD bundle, etc.) all still work correctly
  • Verify the static linking behavior is the same (-static-libgfortran -static-libgcc -static-libquadmath flags work identically)
  • If it works cleanly, switch the documented setup to Homebrew GCC (one less prerequisite step) and update BUILDING.md
Why bother
  • One less manual installer step for new builders — brew install gcc is friendlier than downloading a .dmg from a personal GitHub release
  • Easier to keep up to date alongside other Homebrew packages
  • More consistent with the Homebrew-centric build environment we already require for libpng/libx11/etc.

See BUILDING.md for current setup.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with BUILDING.md, gfortran-static, and build_scipdl.sh to understand the current fxcoudert setup and manual gfortran relinks. Try a clean build using Homebrew GCC, checking the Slatec, Minuit, FFTW3, and GD bundle steps and the listed static-linking flags. Done means the build succeeds with Homebrew and BUILDING.md documents the working setup.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
macos, shell
Domain
build-system
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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