Bug#2406: Cannot install xpm4.7 as well as old a.out xpm shared libs
In message <m0tqkX2-0002a0C@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>, Ian Jackson writes:
>I need to have xpm installed because of the various games &c that
>still use it (and in any case I might want to keep an a.out shared
>lib for xpm). However, xpm4.7 conflicts with xpm, so that I can't
>install both.
I've cc:'ed David on this because I think he understands the shared
libraries issues better than anyone else, and thus may be able to
answer my second point.
So, there are two reasons for the conflict.
First and foremost, as I understand it, all a.out libraries should be
superceded by ELF versions, and, if need exists, an appropriate compat
package should be produced.
That I barely have time to keep up with more important things like
ncurses---putting creation of this compat package beyond my
resources---is unfortunate, but doesn't change this.
Heck, I only did xpm because no one seemed to be doing it and a lot of
people were clamoring for it.
Second, xpm4.7 installs the ELF library /usr/X11R6/lib/libXpm.so.4.7,
while the old xpm package installs (among other things) the a.out
library /usr/X11R6/lib/libXpm.so.4.6.
Frankly, I do not have a sufficiently sophisticated (aka, ANY)
understanding of ldconfig's behavior in the presence of a.out and ELF
libraries whose softlinks could conceivably conflict, but the demand
for the presence of the ELF library was such that it seemed taking the
time to get the behavior explained would be unnecessary.
I guess I want to know if, in light of these two points, you still
think this is a bug, because I don't see anything that is obviously
wrong.
Mike.
--
"You could have it all, my empire of dirt."
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