Re: autoconf and setting prefix
Oliver Kurth <oku@masqmail.cx> writes:
> > Specifying prefix on the make command line should work and not try to
> > install to /usr (though he appears to be using it incorrectly so
> > probably won't get what he wants).
>
> Using prefix is dangerous, because it may be compiled into the code or
> scripts. It may work with most packages, but not all. prefix is meant
> to be the final destination.
No, its use for this purpose is well defined (and required by the GNU
coding standards).
You probably already know this, but for anyone that doesn't: if you
want to install to a prefix that's different than the one compiled into
the program, you must do `make' and `make install prefix=...' as two
separate steps. The G.C.S. require that any package that embeds paths
must do so only at compile time, not at install time, thus the above
usage is safe.
> If DESTDIR is not supported, we should make it to support it, and send
> the fix to upstream.
As with bugs in the handling of prefix.
-Miles
--
In New York, most people don't have cars, so if you want to kill a person, you
have to take the subway to their house. And sometimes on the way, the train
is delayed and you get impatient, so you have to kill someone on the subway.
[George Carlin]
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