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

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005, Hugh Sasse Staff Elec Eng wrote:
> > However, it is not a *known* (to the configure script developer) 
> > dependency. The failure is due to an indirect dependency.
>
> In which case we are no worse off than we are now, but where things
> are known, we are better off.

Yes, indeed.

Your ideas will be best furthered by studying how Autoconf works and 
providing patches which implement a proposed solution.  Probably a new 
macro is required in order to check if there is information available 
regarding the missing package, and present the information in a nice 
format.

It may be that you have set your goals several orders of magnitute too 
low.  Perhaps it is best to develop an entirely new application which 
consults a system-wide knowledge-base, or a server over the Internet, 
in order to obtain the most current package information.  If your 
application is installed, then Autoconf macros could make use of it to 
provide enhanced information to the user.

The 'pkg-config' program is an example of an external application 
which is often used by configure scripts.

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