Bug#571776: debian-policy: Libraries should be allowed to not provide shlibs when they provide symbols file
"Bernhard R. Link" <brlink@debian.org> writes:
> * Mike Hommey <mh+reportbug@glandium.org> [100227 23:53]:
>> AFAIK, the current version of dpkg in stable supports symbols files, so
>> I think it is time we loosen the requirement for shlibs files when
>> symbols files are present.
>> Requiring shlibs when there is a symbols file also is error-prone, as when
>> the symbols file is updated, the shlibs may not be bumped.
> Perhaps creating shlibs files out of symbols files at build time could
> also be a solution for this.
Yeah.. while I have nothing to really back this up and know of no software
that would be affected, I'm minorly reluctant to remove completely an
interface that Debian's supported for so long. It feels like good design
in the abstract to know that every shared library has a shlibs file still,
since symbols files can't completely replace them.
This is just a gut feeling thing and doesn't have any hard data behind it,
but auto-generating the shlibs file would resolve the motivating reason
behind the original bug, I think, and not lose the interface.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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