Re: [Gnustep-cvs] r31321 - in /tools/make/trunk: ChangeLog GNUstep.conf.in configure configure.ac

[Nicola Pero]

I thought about this last night ...

> IMO our default (of course we need to be able to choose other  
> alternatives easily, but I think you have already make gnustep-make  
> support that) should be to install things in native locations so  
> they work with no further effort.
> As Truls Becken pointed out yesterday, that might mean having  
> gnustep-make run ldconfig (or equivalent) when installing libraries  
> and frameworks as well as just putting things in the 'right' place.

Well, if /usr/local/lib is not in ld.so.conf (it isn't by default on  
most Linux distributions), running ldconfig won't help.  So, we'd also  
have to hack
/etc/ld.so.conf upon installation to add /usr/local/lib/ (or  
equivalent action on other unices) ... that is getting very system- 
specific
and installation-unfriendly - we don't really want to do that.

I have been thinking about this, and I am now wondering if --with- 
layout=gnustep isn't actually still the simpler solution for
new users if we print a *huge* warning at the end of configure (and  
make install) about sourcing GNUstep.sh. ;-)

Otherwise, we may now have a new wave of problems from new users, who  
don't have /usr/local/bin in their PATH and don't know how
to set their PATH, or who don't have /usr/local/lib in the  
LD_LIBRARY_PATH or /etc/ld.so.conf (or whatever it is on their  
different Unix system)
and don't know how to change them etc. :-(

We'll end up telling them to run /usr/local/GNUstep/System/Library/ 
Makefiles/GNUstep.sh as that's the easiest way of doing all of the  
above in a
single command, but then there is no longer any advantage compared to  
the GNUstep layout ;-)

The 'fhs' layout has the advantage that is more familiar to new Unix  
users.  That is great.  But in terms of setting up the environment,  
just sourcing
GNUstep.sh would remain the easiest way for them to do that.  So, we  
shouldn't be switching to 'fhs' hoping that that will allow new users  
to run
GNUstep stuff without sourcing GNUstep.sh ... and the problem of  
switching to 'fhs' is that the GNUstep.sh file would be in a different  
location so
millions of web pages and web posts telling people to source /usr/ 
GNUstep/Library/Makefiles/GNUstep.sh would no longer work. ;-)

I'm personally no longer that convinced about switching to 'fhs' as  
default.  But I'm happy to be convinced otherwise. ;-)

Thanks