Re: gfortran seems to require gcc-toolchain

[Konrad Hinsen]

Hi Marius,

>> With your patch, I can compile Fortran programs in an environment
>> containing nothing but "gfortran", so I'd say it works!
>
> On second though, the patch increases the size of 'gcc' from 238.0 MiB
> to 291.5 MiB.  It may also make it difficult to use a different 'as'
> executable.
>
> So I'm not sure whether the added convenience is worth it.

I'd prefer a compiler that works at 291.5 MiB to a compiler that doesn't
work at 238.0 MiB.

When you know how to fix the problem (by installing binutils), it's
perhaps just a convenience. If you don't know, it's a show-stopper.

I see the point of wanting to use a different 'as', but are there any
concrete alternatives in Guix that someone might wish to substitute?
Personally I have never cared much about 'as'. It's a necessary tool
but also a very boring and predictable one. I don't see what I could
gain by replacing it.

Cheers,
  Konrad.