NOTE: This message is crossposted. Please cut down the recipiants if appropriate.
Hi Stephan! On Thu, Feb 19, 1998 at 12:15:21PM +0100, Stephan Kulow wrote: > > Hi everyone! > > > > GNU libtool is producing *.la files, and these are sometimes installed under > > the lib hirarchy. It is a text file with some information about the > > libraries installed. > > > > I know of at least one case where the configure script checks for this file > > (gtk-- is checking for gtk libs). It is ok to install such a file, should > > those be recommended or forced, are they completely useless? Is there some > > other way to handle this than changing the autoconf script? > > > Hi! > > I'm not a libtool expert, but since I have written this part of gtk--'s > configure script, I think, I can comment ;) How small the world is ;) > This files are not completly useless. If the library is to be dlopened, > the .la file contains for example the filename of the library. Since this > differes from one plattform to another, it's recommended to use this > information. > The other way to use this file is the way, gtk-- does it: to check, where > a library is installed. Since gtk uses libtool, it's somehow granted, that > there is a .la file, where the library is. This is easier than looking for > .so, .a and .sl. > Besides that you also can get the version number of the library out of > this file (even for static libraries). > > So I really would recommend to install this files. Martin asked for an example file, I took the libdeity.la that was installed in /usr/lib. As we already have some packages that install it, we probably should have a policy proposal about this. Then the following questions arise: 1) Should we force to install it if available? 2) If yes, then in which package? Note that this is keeping me from releasing 0.7.8-1, because I want to do the rules file right. Thank you, Marcus -- "Rhubarb is no Egyptian god." Debian GNU/Linux finger brinkmd@ Marcus Brinkmann http://www.debian.org master.debian.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] for public PGP Key http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Marcus.Brinkmann/ PGP Key ID 36E7CD09
