Re: machine-dependent header installation path

[Ralf Corsepius]

On 05/18/2014 01:18 PM, Thomas Klausner wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I'm co-developing libzip (www.nih.at/libzip). During configury, the
> library detects types of sizes 8, 16, 32 and defines zip_{u,}intX_t
> dependent on that, which is then used in all places that need fixed
> sized integers.
>
> These defines are saved in a file "zipconf.h" which is used by the
> installed zip.h header file.
>
> I remember reading years ago that such machine-dependent header files
> should not be installed in include/, but below lib/, so that include/
> can be shared between all kinds of machines. That's the reason
> zipconf.h is currently installed into
> $PREFIX/lib/libzip/include/zipconf.h. A pkg-config file helps users
> find the library headers.
>
> Ok, long story short: users are asking why we're installing in this
> "weird" path, and I couldn't find the rationale I was remembering any
> longer. Can you someone point me to it?

To cut a long story short: In a multilib'ed compilation environment all 
files below /usr/include must be identical on all architectures.

> Or do I misremember or had misunderstood something? If so, what are
> the current best practices for where to install such a header file?
${libdir}/<pkg>/<somewhere> is a perfectly suitable choice, because in a 
multilib'ed environment, ${libdir} is architecture-dependent.

Ralf