Paul - It can be a build dependency only, if you like. Then the debian packager can decide if they want to include libalien-libtermkey or not. For the Tiny C Compiler, I have some functionality to be used a module runtime to make sure that Perl sets up the proper include paths (since Alien stuff installs into File::Sharedir-based paths, not system paths). The advantage of requiring your own Alien-based package on a Debian system is that you can target a specific version of libtermkey, which can be different from the one provided by Debian. The disadvantage is that Debian may have a policy against multiple versions of the same library, or you may confuse your Debian users if they install the newest, shiniest libtermkey and your Debian-based module doesn't pick it up, because it uses its own.
Trade offs. :-) David On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 9:20 AM, Paul LeoNerd <leon...@leonerd.org.uk>wrote: > On Fri, 20 Dec 2013 07:32:00 -0500 > Chris Marshall <devel.chm...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > See the responsibilities sections of an Alien module > > in the Alien documentation: > > > > > On installation, make sure the required package is there, otherwise > > > install it. > > > > This is handled at the Alien::libtermkey install. You detect or > > install libtermkey (in a perl-local directory) and are able to > > provide the configuration information needed to use libtermkey. > > Hmm.. I see.. But then does this not now mean that every user of > Tickit /always/ has to have Alien::libtermkey installed just to build > it, even those users who install the entire lot via some sort of OS > distribution packages, where such things ought not be required? > > I'm finding it hard to picture how this all works without debian > requiring a libalien-libtermkey at build time. I suppose, it would > only be a build-time dependency and not a runtime one, so only needed > to compile libtickit-perl, but still it feels slightly odd to me. > > -- > Paul "LeoNerd" Evans > > leon...@leonerd.org.uk > ICQ# 4135350 | Registered Linux# 179460 > http://www.leonerd.org.uk/ > -- "Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it." -- Brian Kernighan
