Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: Managing changes to projects that use autoco nf/automake with tla

[Tom Lord]

    > From: Andrew Suffield <address@hidden>
    > On Tue, Apr 06, 2004 at 09:00:27AM -0700, Tom Lord wrote:
    > > On the other hand, sure, I'm willing to merge in shared library
    > > support.  I'm not too enthusiastic about the implementation of
    > > libtool.  What I'd really like to see is a project that spends a few
    > > weeks and a couple of "spare evenings" volunteers to _extract_ from
    > > libtool some of the platform-specific knowledge it contains.   I'd
    > > like to see it produce a document and database:  the document
    > > describing the variations on shared lib handling in the natural world
    > > and commenting on what abstractions make sense over those;   the
    > > database capturing the platform-specific knowledge in a handy format.

    > I'm afraid this is quite a tricky problem. libtool isn't a thin
    > wrapper, it's a lowest-common-denominator abstraction layer; some of
    > the platforms involved, notably AIX and win32, have really *strange*
    > notions of what constitutes a shared library. Providing an interface
    > that works reliably, usefully, and in the same manner on all platforms
    > is one of those "hard problems".

    > libtool could certainly use reimplementing (in something that is not
    > shell), but it's no coincidence that this hasn't happened yet.

I believe you.   There was an opportunity lost during libtool
development to the effect that they didn't try to _take_notes_ rather
than just record all of the accumulated knowledge as code.....   but,
spilt milk and all that.

-t