Policy on cyclic dependencies

[Martin Alonso Soto Jacome <masoto@uniandes.edu.co>]

Hi:

I'm working on packaging the WXWindows GUI library and found an issue
I don't know how to deal with.  The library offers an on-line help
facility that can be invoked from within programs by calling some of
its functions.  The facility is based on a browsing program that is
launched when the user of the WXWindows based app requests on-line
help for the first time (just like in M$ windows help).  Once
launched, the browsing program continues communicating with the main
app by means of SysV IPC messages.

The Policy Manual requires run-time support programs (just like this
help browsing program) to be packaged separately from shared libraries
in order to allow for many versions of the libraries to be installed
at the same time.  My problem with such an arrangement, is that my
shared library package would have to depend on the browsing program
package, but it, in turn, would depend on the libraries package.

I'd like to know if it is safe to establish this kind of cyclic
dependencies or if I have to devise some other way to deal with the
problem (I don't know what that way would be, though).  I'd really
appreciate any advise you guys can give me on this subject.

Thanks,

M. S.

------------
Martin A. Soto J.                           Profesor
Departamento de Ingenieria de Sistemas y Computacion
Universidad de los Andes      masoto@uniandes.edu.co