For anyone who might experience the same problem... Intalling ghc-6.8.3, the following error occurred: make -C libraries all make[1]: Entering directory `/path/to/src/gh c-6.8.3/ghc-6.8.3/libraries' rm -f -f stamp/configure.library.*.base base/unbuildable ( cd base && setup/Setup configure \ --enable-library-profiling --enable-split-objs \ --prefix=/NONEXISTANT \ --bindir=/NONEXISTANT \ --libdir=/NONEXISTANT \ --libsubdir='$pkgid' \ --libexecdir=/NONEXISTANT \ --datadir=/NONEXISTANT \ --docdir=/NONEXISTANT \ --htmldir=/NONEXISTANT \ --interfacedir=/NONEXISTANT \ --with-compiler=../../compiler/stage1/ghc-inplace \ --with-hc-pkg=../../utils/ghc-pkg/ghc-pkg-inplace \ --with-hsc2hs=../../utils/hsc2hs/hsc2hs-inplace \ --with-ld=/path/to/bin/ld \ --haddock-options="--use-contents=../index.html \ --use-index=../doc-index.html" \ --configure-option='--prefix=/path/to/ghc-6.8.3' --configure-option='CC=gcc -m32' --configure-option='LDFLAGS=-Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib -Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib64 -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -L/path/to/lib -L/path/to/lib64 --configure-option=' --configure-option='CPPFLAGS=-I/path/to/include --configure-option=' \ --configure-option=--with-cc=gcc ) \ && touch stamp/configure.library.build-profiling-splitting.base || touch base/unbuildable Configuring base-3.0.2.0... configure: WARNING: Unrecognized options: --with-hc, --with-hc-pkg checking for gcc... gcc checking for C compiler default output file name... configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables See `config.log' for more details. config.log showed this: configure:2171: checking for C compiler default output file name configure:2193: gcc -I/path/to/include --configure-option= -Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib -Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib64 -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -L/path/to/lib -L/path/to/lib64 --configure-option= conftest.c >&5 cc1: error: unrecognized command line option "-fconfigure-option=" cc1: error: unrecognized command line option "-fconfigure-option=" configure:2197: $? = 1 configure:2235: result: configure: failed program was: | /* confdefs.h. */ | #define PACKAGE_NAME "Haskell base package" | #define PACKAGE_TARNAME "base" | #define PACKAGE_VERSION "1.0" | #define PACKAGE_STRING "Haskell base package 1.0" | #define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT "libraries@haskell.org" | /* end confdefs.h. */ | | int | main () | { | | ; | return 0; | } configure:2242: error: C compiler cannot create executables See `config.log' for more details. ## ---------------- ## ## Cache variables. ## ## ---------------- ## ac_cv_env_CC_set=set ac_cv_env_CC_value='gcc -m32' ac_cv_env_CFLAGS_set= ac_cv_env_CFLAGS_value= ac_cv_env_CPPFLAGS_set=set ac_cv_env_CPPFLAGS_value='-I/path/to/include --configure-option=' ac_cv_env_CPP_set= ac_cv_env_CPP_value= ac_cv_env_LDFLAGS_set=set ac_cv_env_LDFLAGS_value='-Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib -Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib64 -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -L/path/to/lib -L/path/to/lib64 --configure-option=' ac_cv_env_LIBS_set= ac_cv_env_LIBS_value= ac_cv_env_build_alias_set= ac_cv_env_build_alias_value= ac_cv_env_host_alias_set= ac_cv_env_host_alias_value= ac_cv_env_target_alias_set= ac_cv_env_target_alias_value= ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_CC=gcc ## ----------------- ## ## Output variables. ## ## ----------------- ## CC='gcc' CFLAGS='' CPP='' CPPFLAGS='-I/path/to/include --configure-option=' DEFS='' ECHO_C='' ECHO_N='-n' ECHO_T='' EGREP='' EXEEXT='' GREP='' LDFLAGS='-Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib -Wl,-rpath,/path/to/lib64 -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -L/path/to/lib -L/path/to/lib64 --configure-option=' LIBOBJS='' LIBS='' LTLIBOBJS='' OBJEXT='' PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='libraries@haskell.org' PACKAGE_NAME='Haskell base package' PACKAGE_STRING='Haskell base package 1.0' PACKAGE_TARNAME='base' PACKAGE_VERSION='1.0' PATH_SEPARATOR=':' SHELL='/bin/sh' ac_ct_CC='gcc' bindir='/NONEXISTANT' build_alias='' datadir='/NONEXISTANT' datarootdir='${prefix}/share' docdir='${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}' dvidir='${docdir}' exec_prefix='NONE' host_alias='' htmldir='${docdir}' includedir='${prefix}/include' infodir='${datarootdir}/info' libdir='/NONEXISTANT' libexecdir='/NONEXISTANT' localedir='${datarootdir}/locale' localstatedir='${prefix}/var' mandir='${datarootdir}/man' oldincludedir='/usr/include' pdfdir='${docdir}' prefix='/path/to/ghc-6.8.3' program_transform_name='s,x,x,' psdir='${docdir}' sbindir='${exec_prefix}/sbin' sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com' sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc' target_alias='' It turned out that trailing whitespace in the LDFLAGS and CPPFLAGS environment variables were causing these problems. see libraries/Makfile: # We rely on all the CONFIGURE_ARGS being quoted with '...', and there # being no 's inside the values. FLAGGED_CONFIGURE_ARGS = $(subst $(space)',\ $(space)--configure-option=',\ $(space)$(CONFIGURE_ARGS)) -- Yorick