[lttng-dev] The disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup configure option

[lttng-dev] The disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup configure option

[Thibault, Daniel]

The git.lttng.org packages lttng-ust and lttng-tools have a configure option named disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup.  The 'linkdep fixup', if I understand correctly, serves to fix a problem with the version of the libtool package used with Debian systems (and possibly others), as described in http://bugs.lttng.org/issues/321.  The fixup in question consists of changing occurrences of the 'link_all_deplibs=no' flag in config/libtool.m4 to 'link_all_deplibs=unknown' instead.

The default value of the option is 'yes' (re: configure.ac), which means the fixup is applied.  Setting the option to another value, such as 'no', means the fixup is not applied.

Why then is the option named *disable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup?  Shouldn't it be named *enable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup instead?

Daniel U. Thibault
R & D pour la d?fense Canada - Valcartier (RDDC Valcartier) / Defence R&D Canada - Valcartier (DRDC Valcartier)
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[lttng-dev] The disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup configure option

[Christian Babeux]

Hi Daniel,

> Why then is the option named *disable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup?  Shouldn't it be named *enable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup instead?

Because the option is enabled by default on all systems. This is to
facilitate cross-compilation on Debian/Ubuntu systems.

Thanks,

Christian

[lttng-dev] The disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup configure option

[Thibault, Daniel]

> > The default value of the option is 'yes' (re: configure.ac), which means the fixup is applied.  Setting the option to another value, such as 'no', means the fixup is not applied.
> > Why then is the option named *disable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup?  Shouldn't it be named *enable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup instead?
>
>Because the option is enabled by default on all systems. This is to facilitate cross-compilation on Debian/Ubuntu systems.
>
> Christian

If you had to compare the following two command lines, which one would you say disabled the fixup?

./configure --disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup=yes
./configure --disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup=no

The first line is the current default, and it leaves the fixup enabled (right?).  That's why I suspect enable-libtool-linkdep-fixup would be a more meaningful name.

Daniel U. Thibault
R & D pour la d?fense Canada - Valcartier (RDDC Valcartier) / Defence R&D Canada - Valcartier (DRDC Valcartier)
Cyber s?curit? pour les missions essentielles (CME) / Mission Critical Cyber Security (MCCS)
Protection des syst?mes et contremesures (PSC) / Systems Protection & Countermeasures (SPC)
2459 route de la Bravoure
Qu?bec, QC  G3J 1X5
CANADA
Vox : (418) 844-4000 x4245
Fax : (418) 844-4538
NAC : 918V QSDJ <http://www.travelgis.com/map.asp?addr=918V%20QSDJ>
Gouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada
<http://www.valcartier.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/>

[lttng-dev] The disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup configure option

[Mathieu Desnoyers]

* Thibault, Daniel (Daniel.Thibault at drdc-rddc.gc.ca) wrote:
> > > The default value of the option is 'yes' (re: configure.ac), which means the fixup is applied.  Setting the option to another value, such as 'no', means the fixup is not applied.
> > > Why then is the option named *disable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup?  Shouldn't it be named *enable*-libtool-linkdep-fixup instead?
> >
> >Because the option is enabled by default on all systems. This is to facilitate cross-compilation on Debian/Ubuntu systems.
> >
> > Christian
> 
> If you had to compare the following two command lines, which one would you say disabled the fixup?
> 
> ./configure --disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup=yes
> ./configure --disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup=no
> 
> The first line is the current default, and it leaves the fixup enabled
> (right?).  That's why I suspect enable-libtool-linkdep-fixup would be
> a more meaningful name.

Please read the autoconf documentation, and become familiar with the
usual practices of other open source projects on this matter.

The autoconf documentation would, amongst other things, tell you about
"./configure --help". Its output lists:

  --disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup
                          disable the libtool fixup for linking all dependent
                          libraries (link_all_deplibs)

as a matter of fact, this option does not take "=yes/=no" parameters as
you suggest, nor does any of the --enable/disable-* configure options in
general. This option is enabled by default, unless you specify
--disable-libtool-linkdep-fixup. As a general guide-line, you should
never need to use this override, except in very exceptional situations
(e.g. in the event of future distribution changes).

Thank you,

Mathieu

-- 
Mathieu Desnoyers
EfficiOS Inc.
http://www.efficios.com