Re: removal of .la files from Debian and a possible solution to the libtool shared libs problem

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Tue, 25 Aug 2009, Mike Frysinger wrote:
> > Relying on the OS's implicit dependency features seems to be an
> > approach which is fraught with peril.
>
> why ?

When viewing the issue through Linux package-maintainer spectacles 
everything looks pretty straightforward since the environment and 
packages are well managed and tested prior to deployment.  Any 
failures can be usefully corrected.  Libraries are carefully built 
with well-managed partial dependency lists.  If you consider the case 
where someone installs and builds everything from a random collection 
of source packages on a random Linux release, then the situation is 
different.

This issue has some up oodles of times.  Obviously there is a good 
reason for the complaints (Linux equivalent of "DLL hell") but the 
solution in libtool needs to be assured to work everywhere, and not 
just on well-managed well-manicured recent Linux.

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