Re: Why relink the library during make install?

[Albert Chin]

On Fri, Jul 26, 2002 at 09:58:22AM +0900, Miles Bader wrote:
> Albert Chin <address@hidden> writes:
> > > If gettext doesn't follow this, then it should be fixed at once.
> > > There are several reasons to use prefix (I favour the usage of DESTDIR
> > > though) in conjunction with `make install'.
> > 
> > Libtool is the one doing the relinking. And, I believe it is correct
> > in doing so.
> 
> It may be the libtool actually knows what's going on, and is playing
> tricks to work around compiler bogosities (on HP-UX or whatever).
> 
> As I said in a different thread on this same subject:
> 
>    The important point, as I understand it, is that `make install' with a
>    different prefix should _not_ embed the new prefix in anything that gets
>    installed -- all embedded paths should still use the old prefix.
> 
>    I suppose it's OK to violate the letter of the rule as long as you're
>    quite sure that the end effect is the same.
> 
> So does libtool's relinking do the `right thing' when the two prefixes
> are different?

On HP-UX, I don't think it's possible to do what you want (an HP-UX
issue, not a libtool issue).

Libtool will not do the right thing. I just rebuilt GD 1.8.4 and
tried:
  $ ./configure --prefix=/opt/TWWfsw/libgd18
  $ gmake
  $ gmake prefix=/tmp/b install
  ...
  mkdir /tmp/a/bin
    /bin/sh ./libtool --mode=install /opt/fsw/bin/ginstall -c pngtogd
  /tmp/a/bin/pngtogd
  libtool: install: warning: `libgd.la' has not been installed in
  `/opt/TWWfsw/libgd18/lib'
  libtool: install: warning: cannot relink `pngtogd'
  /opt/fsw/bin/ginstall -c pngtogd /tmp/a/bin/pngtogd
  ...

BTW, a patch Ossama Othman posted to libtool-patches might do what you
want (dunno how well it works).

> [and also -- am I correct in thinking that the `path embedding' issue is
> main problem with relinking at install-time?  Are there other things
> that need considering?]

I think that's it. I don't know of any platforms that need
"post-processing" of installed libraries but a hook exists in libtool
for this.

-- 
albert chin (address@hidden)