Re: rpath and /usr/lib/<package> directories
Charles Fry <cfry@debian.org> writes:
> Hi,
>
> I recently uploaded courierpassd, which wraps some functionality of
> courier-authlib in the popassd protocol. lintian has been warning me
> about the use of rpath, about which I posted on debian-mentors. This
> culminated in the following thread:
>
> http://lists.debian.org/debian-mentors/2006/07/msg00221.html
>
> Which along with several other related comments motivated me to open bug
> #378241, asking courier-authlib to move its public libraries to
> /usr/lib, per Policy 10.2, which would remove the necessity of
> courierpassd using rpath.
>
> Steve Langasek followed up with the bug, wisely decreasing its
> severety and stating:
>
> "I think that suggestion in policy is worse than using rpath and that
> this ought to be revised."
>
> With that extended background, here are my two specific requests:
>
> 1) It would be really nice if policy said something about rpath.
> Currently the most official documentation about it which I could
> find is:
>
> http://wiki.debian.org/RpathIssue
>
> If rpath is going to be checked for by lintian, then it seems
> reasonable to me that there be some official documentation
> explaining Debian's position on the matter. I've currently asked
> for this in lintian's bug #378054, but perhaps there should be a
> parallel bug in debian-policy or elsewhere?
>
> 2) It would be nice to have some further discussion on Steve's comment
> regarding the relative merit of using rpath and /usr/lib/<package>
> versus moving all shared libraries into /usr/lib. I opened bug
> #378055 in lintian about this, but given the developments which
> have taken place since then, it is no longer clear to me what the
> right thing is for lintian to do. Again, I think that
> clarification on this is in policy's domain.
>
> thanks,
> Charles
Please note that this (rpath) prevents automatic multiarch conversion
for packages. Instead of a simple post procesing of the deb files a
much more complicated change has to be made to change the rpath. It
also requires the use of extra -L statements during build.
In conclusion /usr/lib/<package> for shared libraries just makes
everybodies live more complicated.
MfG
Goswin
PS: This would affects amd64-libs, ia32-libs and OOo for amd64 if any
component uses the /usr/lib/<package> way.
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