Why can't g++ code link with code from other C++ compilers?
===========================================================

   "Why can't I link g++-compiled programs against libraries compiled by
some other C++ compiler?"

   Some people think that, if only the FSF and Cygnus Support folks
would stop being stubborn and mangle names the same way that, say,
cfront does, then any g++-compiled program would link successfully
against any cfront-compiled library and vice versa.  Name mangling is
the least of the problems.  Compilers differ as to how objects are laid
out, how multiple inheritance is implemented, how virtual function
calls are handled, and so on, so if the name mangling were made the
same, your programs would link against libraries provided from other
compilers but then crash when run.  For this reason, the ARM
*encourages* compiler writers to make their name mangling different
from that of other compilers for the same platform.  Incompatible
libraries are then detected at link time, rather than at run time.