[PLUG] Something noticed on upgrading to GNU gcc v4.9.0

[website reader]

Is there someway to insure that linux programs can stand-alone?

I am running an openSuse v13.1 OS on a 64-bit Intel corei7 machine.

I upgraded to the gcc v4.9.0 compiler, but when I attempted to remove the
older gcc v4.8.1 compiler, lots of programs broke.

Examples:

    xrdb, xinit, xdm, xorg-x11-essentials
    kdebase4-workspace (lots)
    yast2-x11 (main administration program)
    plasma-addons
    kwin, kget, kdm, kdevelop
    apper (software installer)
    plasmoid-quickaccess (widgets)
    synaptiks
    patterns (various)

So basically the whole desktop is rendered useless, along with xterm, and
more seriously the administration programs (Yast2 and apper) are rendered
useless which (imho) could lead to disaster and rebuilding a system if gcc
v4.8.1 was removed.

I was able to successfully install the new gcc 4.9.0 rel 211729 along with
the debugsource so I could test some additions to the ISO C++ standards,
but I had to manually create some symbolic links in the /usr/bin area to
change over.

However.. Am I under a misunderstanding that we are basically stuck with
one mandatory compiler, regardless of what revisions of GNU gcc occur? Is
this due to the statically linked libraries?

Has anyone made an attempt to build linux free of the GNU gcc compiler?  I
have built the linux from scratch, so I have some understanding of what is
involved in the gcc, binutils and glibc libraries and the linux kernel, but
I am a bit surprised to find some of the key programs linked to gcc.

Thanks for your comments here.

- Randall