Re: gEDA-cvs: CVS update: ChangeLog

[Dan McMahill <dan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

cvspsrv@xxxxxxxx wrote:
>   User: ahvezda 
>   Date: 06/09/24 17:06:23
>
>   Modified:    .        ChangeLog configure.ac
>   Log:
>   Tweaked configure scripts to not fail if libgd is not installed (libgd is
>   
>   an optional dependancy)
>   
>   

How about disabling libgd always then unless it is requested?  The 
current state is one of my gripes about autoconf.  It's one thing to 
test for and enable work arounds, but I really don't like it when 
optional components get compiled in or not compiled in via an automatic 
decision.  In fact explicitly doing --enable-gd won't fail, it will just 
emit a warning in the middle of a ton of other messages, if gdlib isn't 
installed.

Right now building with the exact same configure arguments and exact 
same everything but with and without gdlib installed produces 2 
different compiled results with 2 different sets of dependencies.  I 
find that confusing and also it makes it somewhat more painful for 3rd 
party package maintainers.  For example, you build geda without gdlib 
installed, everything looks good but you don't notice that there is no 
png export.  You build a package.  Now someone builds on a system with 
gdlib installed but perhaps no dependency is registered and later gdlib 
is removed.  Now you have a broken geda.

Anyway, you're the boss so I'll leave it how you have it, but I disagree 
with the automatic decision approach.

-Dan


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