[opensuse-packaging] Packaging libtool archives (*.la files)
Hi, while looking at various spec files, I noticed that it seems to become increasingly popular these days that libtool archives (*.la files) are removed from packages, by deleting them during the build or by using the %exclude directive or similar. Is there a general policy about this? The idea seems to come from Fedora, where this _is_ a general policy. I'd like to know whether we have a similar policy or whether each packager decides that himself. Andreas Hanke --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+help@opensuse.org
On Fri, Aug 25, Andreas Hanke wrote:
Hi,
while looking at various spec files, I noticed that it seems to become increasingly popular these days that libtool archives (*.la files) are removed from packages, by deleting them during the build or by using the %exclude directive or similar.
Is there a general policy about this?
The general policy is: Remove it if this makes no trouble.
The idea seems to come from Fedora,
No, we did it (at least I for my packages) for a much longer time than Fedora.
where this _is_ a general policy. I'd like to know whether we have a similar policy or whether each packager decides that himself.
There are three kind of packages: - The package will stop working if you remove the *.la file - Building other packages will become much order or will break - A lot of problems will be solved by removing the *.la file or nobody cares. In the first case we will of course not remove the *.la file. In the seond case: depends on if there is the time to fix all other packages. In the third case: remove it. Thorsten -- Thorsten Kukuk http://www.suse.de/~kukuk/ kukuk@suse.de SUSE LINUX Products GmbH Maxfeldstr. 5 D-90409 Nuernberg -------------------------------------------------------------------- Key fingerprint = 8C6B FD92 EE0F 42ED F91A 6A73 6D1A 7F05 2E59 24BB --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+help@opensuse.org
Thorsten Kukuk wrote:
On Fri, Aug 25, Andreas Hanke wrote:
while looking at various spec files, I noticed that it seems to become increasingly popular these days that libtool archives (*.la files) are removed from packages, by deleting them during the build or by using the %exclude directive or similar.
Is there a general policy about this?
The general policy is: Remove it if this makes no trouble.
I have tried to make a short proposal about it. It is not yet "Remove it if this makes no trouble", but only "Remove it if you are sure that this makes no trouble". It's hard to decide in case of "Building other packages will become much order or will break". Note that not only ltdl, but probably also guile can need *.la files, and mono can need *.so files. Libraries in libdir: If your package installs *.so symlink, *.la and *.a files, but does't provide any header files for these libraries, you can consider these files as obsolete and remove them. Example: Package nautilus contains two libraries - public libnautilus-extension with headers and private libnautilus-private without headers. It means, that libnautilus-private cannot be used for development outside nautilus package. You can remove its development files: # libnautilus-private does not export its headers, so it can't be used # outside nautilus, rm $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{prefix}/%_lib/libnautilus-private.*a rm $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{prefix}/%_lib/libnautilus-private.so Note: In rare cases, the library is loaded with use of *.so or *.la files. In this situation, you have to keep these files. Dynamic modules and libraries outside libdir: If your package installs *.so, *.la and *.a files into a sub-directory of libdir, please evaluate usefulness of those files: If these files are dynamically loaded shared modules, static *.a files has no use, and you can remove them to save space. If module is not intended for program using libltdl, libtool *.la files has no use, and you can remove them to save space. For some module types, you can even remove *.so symlink if it is not required for proper function of program module it is intended for. Example: Package libgnomeui provides modules for gtk+ and libglade. You can remove obsolete files: # remove obsolete files for dynamic modules rm $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{prefix}/%_lib/libglade/2.0/*.*a rm $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{prefix}/%_lib/gtk-2.0/2.4.0/filesystems/libgnome-vfs.*a -- Best Regards / S pozdravem, Stanislav Brabec software developer --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUSE LINUX, s. r. o. e-mail: sbrabec@suse.cz Lihovarská 1060/12 tel: +420 284 028 966 190 00 Praha 9 fax: +420 284 028 951 Czech Republic http://www.suse.cz/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-packaging+help@opensuse.org
participants (3)
-
Andreas Hanke -
Stanislav Brabec -
Thorsten Kukuk