Re: RFE: configure -> dependency list on exit.

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005, Hugh Sasse Staff Elec Eng wrote:

> If it is known to be provided by a package, suggest that package.
> It should not quit: it should look for other things it needs.
> Then list the info before exiting.
>
> > configure script simply record that the function is not available and the 
> > app
>
> record it to announce at the end and move on...

More often than not, if something important is missing, the configure 
script will continue to crater through its remaining tests.  The 
remaining tests are then invalid.  In this case, it is more useful for 
the configure script to issue an error message and quit.

> That is still possible: I'm only trying to get existing known
> dependecies expressed.  If compiler directives in the code like
> #ifdef HAS_VNSPRINTF
> #endif
> can do useful work, by all means do that.  I'm saying that the
> author is likely to know where to get vnsprintf, and if they do they
> should say so.  The fallback case is things fail, like they would
> now.

I agree that it would be useful if the configure script displayed a 
warning/error message which suggests that a particular package should 
be installed if it can be known that the missing functionalty comes 
from a particular package.  Many configure scripts do this already. 
It may be that some additional autoconf smarts would help make this 
reporting more consistent.

Bob
======================================
Bob Friesenhahn
address@hidden, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/