Re: RFC: Framework support in -make

[Stefan Urbanek]

On 2003-05-08 14:28:00 +0200 Nicola Pero <nicola@brainstorm.co.uk> wrote:

<snip>

> > >
> > What about user library/framework directories? At this time you need
> > to add two lines for each user to the ld.so.conf (besides four lines for 
> > gnustep installation) to make user-domain frameworks and libraries work:
> >
> > user_home/Library/Libraries/ix86/linux-gnu
> > user_home/Library/Libraries/ix86/linux-gnu/gnu-gnu-gnu
>
> Good point - but you need those in LD_LIBRARY_PATH only if you install
> libraries/frameworks in there; in which case, yes, you need to set your
> LD_LIBRARY_PATH. :-)

I cannot, because some shells (bash or csh for example) are destroying 
LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable. Try this in csh (or similar in bash):
$ setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH /home
$ csh
$ echo $LD_LIBRARY_PATH
/home
(we are in new csh)
$ xterm
(we are in new xterm)
$ echo $LD_LIBRARY_PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH: Undefined variable.

LD_LIBRARY_PATH is also lost when you source GNUstep.sh in .xinitrc.

> You shouldn't add them in ld.so.conf because other users won't use your
> libraries from there ... they will not be able to read them.

I agree.

> But normally RPM do not install stuff in your own home directory - they
> install systemwide! :-)

Ok, that is the case for RPM, but gnustep has the ability to install frameworks 
and applications anywhere. Users can install frameworks just by dragging them 
into apropriate folder in their home directory, as they can do with apps.
It is an advantage of GNUstep that users can install their own software.

> If you compare with other binary packages, they never install a library in
> your own home directory.  They install it in /usr/lib.  If - very unlikely
> - but if you install a shared library in your home directory, they would
> ask you to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH so that it can be found, exactly as GNUstep
> does.

Yes, they are other packages, but this is GNUstep. GNUstep can do things better.

> > UsualIy users do not have permissions to edit the ld.co.conf file,
> > neither to run ldconfig. And I doubt that sysadmins will agree on adding user 
> > directories into global list. I think that this is a reason, why ld.so.conf and 
> > ldconfig should not be used.
>
> It's a good reason - actually a definitive reason - not to use it for
> libraries/frameworks installed in your home directory - LD_LIBRARY_PATH
> must be used in that case.

LD_LIBRARY_PATH does not work (see above) and this is the reason why many 
people are using ld.so.conf with gnustep (including me).

Stefan