Re: C++ symbols files (Re: GCC 10 transition)
On Tue, Jul 28, 2020 at 12:41:42PM +0200, Matthias Klose wrote:
>...
> Suggested ways to solve these issues:
>
> - Use plain shlibs files, without using symbols files, although
> debhelper wrongly warns about missing symbols files.
Usually this is the better option for C++ libraries,
for more discussion see the bottom half of
https://wiki.debian.org/UsingSymbolsFiles
> - Use a better tool like abi-compliance-checker or abigail, although
> both are missing dpkg integration like symbols files.
>...
Symbols files have two purposes:
1. detect ABI breakages
2. don't create unnecessarily strict dependencies on the
latest version of a library
You are talking about 1., and I agree that any proper ABI checking tools
would be more useful than people just blindly updating symbols files
from the buildds without properly reviewing every single symbol change.
There is also the point 2. which was AFAIR the main original motivation
for symbols files, but IMHO the C++ symbols files mess is not worth it.
The wiki contains some information from Simon McVittie regarding
upstream of a C++ library solving this with proper symbol visibility,
but this is something for upstream to implement.
> Matthias
cu
Adrian
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