Re: on ocaml-extra-libs

[Sven LUTHER <luther@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr>]

On Tue, Apr 03, 2001 at 11:04:50AM +0200, Stefano Zacchiroli wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 03, 2001 at 10:15:05AM +0200, Sven LUTHER wrote:
> > > Another reason is that a user may want to install only one library of
> > > the bounce provided by ocaml-extra-libs and use another version of a
> > > library provided in the same package (this is possibile and easy with
> > > findlib).
> > 
> > Erm, did we not have this discution during the findlib thread ?
> 
> I think you miss the point sven.
> 
> Figure out this situation:
> we made the package with a bounce of ocaml library, say libA, libB and
> libC each with a version.
> A user may want to use libA and libB but may want to a different
> versione of libC, if we have a unique package he can't do it.

Well, yes he could (provided everything works as i described in the last
mail).

he just install the libABC package, and then installs his own version of libC
in either /usr/local, if he has root privilege, or $(HOME).

Then he would have to tell his build system to look in $(HOME) or /usr/local
for the libraries before he looks in /usr.

Now, i don't know if this is feasible with the current state of findlib and/or
the upstream released ocaml 3.01. I guess it is possible, but not cleanly.

> > > Another point of interest: ok, it's better to keep optionally the
> > > dependencies on ocaml-findlib, but in doing this we have to fork the
> > > installation methods on the makefiles.
> > 
> > No, wait, did we not discuss that there would be an empty findlib wrapper or
> > something such, and that just placing the FINDLIB make variable to empty it
> > would work fine, or somethign such ?
> 
> yes, but for now the Makefile that I saw can't work without findlib, as
> an example, from netstring module:
> 
>    $(OCAMLFIND) install -destdir $(DESTDIR) $(NAME) *.mli *.cmi *.cma
>    netstring_top.cmo netstring_mt.cmo netmappings_iso.cmo
>    netmappings_other.cmo META $$extra
> 
> This don't work with empty OCAMLFIND var.

yes, but it would work with a OCAMLFIND var set to ocamlfind --dummy or
somethign such, was this not the result of the discution we had lately ?

But again, it is only a goal toward which it would be nice to tend, and i
don't know if it is already possible or not. I had the impression it would be
possible though.

> > no problem, like said, we have to conform to a futur goal, and in the
> > meantime, things may not be perfect yet. Just don't forget the goal.
> 
> ok

:)))

And remember you are the maintainer of both findlib and the other packages you
speak about. It is your decision that will import the most :)))

Friendly,

Sven Luther