Re: failure to compile GNU smalltalk 3.2.91 on Linux/Debian

Hello Basile.

Current version is not 3.2.91 in master repo at smalltalk.gnu.org

Debian stopped distributing GST because it could not build for modern Gtk. S=
o don=E2=80=99t configure -- enable-gtk

I don=E2=80=99t know why your build fails with the regex.c file. Likely a mi=
smatched version.

However, the textual user interface Transcript works from the v3.2.5-1.3+b2 .=
deb install on Debian Bullseye.

You can use GPL code in any other GPL code. See COPYING file for details.

The mailing list can be searched for lots of helpful experiences compiling G=
ST.

-- John

(P.S.: Pharo.org has or had a Smalltalk made in France.)

On Oct 8, 2025, at 9:50 AM, Basile Starynkevitch <[email protected]> w=
rote:

Hello all,

I am French and worked at CEA on GCC, see https://arxiv.org/abs/1109.0779 ..=
.

On a Linux desktop (AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX Debian/trixie with 64Gbyte=
s RAM and
6.16.10+deb14-rt-amd64) I downloaded smalltalk-3.2.91 and configured it with=

./configure  --enable-jit  --disable-silent-rules --enable-gtk CC=3Dgcc CFLA=
GS=3D'-O2 -g'

the gcc is a snapshot compiled by me:
Using built-in specs.
COLLECT_GCC=3Dgcc
COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=3D/usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/16/lto-wrapper=

Target: x86_64-linux-gnu
Configured with: /usr/src/Lang/gcc-16snap/configure -v --prefix=3D/usr/local=
 --with-gcc-major-version-
only --program-suffix=3D-16 --enable-shared --enable-plugin --enable-default=
-pie --with-system-zlib --
disable-multilib --with-tune=3Dnative --enable-checking=3Drelease --enable-h=
ost-shared --build=3Dx86_64-
linux-gnu --host=3Dx86_64-linux-gnu --target=3Dx86_64-linux-gnu CFLAGS=3D'-g=
 -O2' CXXFLAGS=3D'-g -O2' --
enable-werror build_alias=3Dx86_64-linux-gnu host_alias=3Dx86_64-linux-gnu t=
arget_alias=3Dx86_64-linux-gnu
--enable-languages=3Dc,c++,jit,lto
Thread model: posix
Supported LTO compression algorithms: zlib zstd
gcc version 16.0.0 20250907 (experimental) (GCC)=20

(FWIW, GNU lightning is also installed under /usr/local  ...)

GNU smalltalk failed to compile with:
[SNIP]

regex.c:

What did I do wrongly?

By the way, can I reuse some of the C code of GNU smalltalk in a GPL license=
d=20
inference engine project (RefPerSys on github, C++ mostly)


--=20
Basile STARYNKEVITCH                            <[email protected]>
8 rue de la Fa=C3=AFencerie                       http://starynkevitch.net/B=
asile/ =20
92340 Bourg-la-Reine                         https://github.com/bstarynk
France                                https://github.com/RefPerSys/RefPerSys=