[csw-maintainers] Shared library placement proposal

[Ben Walton]

Excerpts from Philip Brown's message of Mon Feb 07 23:07:51 -0500 2011:

> yes. I've already written this, AND I've already written why.
> Because that is the "normal" way that programs install things, when
> you compile with
>  configure --prefix=/opt/csw/prefix

Ok, this is technically correct, but as Maciej has pointed out, it's
valid to: ./configure --prefix=/opt/csw/prefix --libdir=/opt/csw/lib.
One is more normal, agreed, but both are valid.

I think we're spending a lot of time on this discussion for a part of
the policy that ultimately pertains to a small percentage of our
packages.

If we can step back for a moment, lets consider the clean solution to
this:

./configure --prefix=/opt/csw

That's right, if we had alternatives in the first place, we most
likely wouldn't even be having this conversation.  The intent of the
proposal is that we _can_ move libraries back to the natural (within
the scope of the entire catalog) location while still preserving the
legacy package-specific prefix.

I'll even grant that in this specific context, the symlink direction
doesn't matter all that much.  Consider though that the next steps may
(will?) aim at coalescing other bits of these special packages back
towards a standard ./configure --prefix=/opt/csw.

Doesn't it make sense to _prefer_ (should, not must) the catalog
traditional location?

/me feels like he's choosing a paint colour for the bike shed. :(

> Plus the issue about keeping "du -k" output consistent within the
> program files for a prefix.

This is not a non-issue.  I understand that you say you find it
useful, but it's not something you could do if the package were built
more naturally within the scope of our catalog.  Your ability to do it
today is a side effect of our past inability to build these packages
with standard directory locations.

If we start considering side effects as weighted factors when setting
policy, we're doomed.

Thanks
-Ben
--
Ben Walton
Systems Programmer - CHASS
University of Toronto
C:416.407.5610 | W:416.978.4302