On Mon, 30 May 2011 at 12:23:35 +0200, Vincent Lefevre wrote: > They are at least read by libtool. For instance, when building MPFR > (as a normal user): [...] > Either the information provided by /usr/lib/libgmp.la is important > and this file should be kept, or libtool should not attempt to read > the file... unless this doesn't matter for the specific case of > /usr/lib under Debian.
It doesn't matter for the specific case of /usr/lib under Debian. Debian's libtool has appropriate behaviour (read .la files if found, but fall back to just using the real library if not). libtool .la files are useful if: * you're linking against a library installed in a directory that isn't searched by the dynamic linker by default (e.g. installing a local library in --prefix=$HOME, and a program that links that library - but this isn't relevant for packaged libraries in /lib or /usr/lib, which are searched by default anyway) * your build-time dynamic linker doesn't write direct dependencies into shared libraries, or your runtime dynamic linker doesn't respect them (but our linkers work correctly, so this doesn't apply) * you link statically against a library whose upstream doesn't provide a pkg-config .pc file (but if this is the case, please ask them to - it's useful functionality) * you use libltdl to load plugins (this is one legitimate reason for a Debian package to have a .la file accompanying a plugin - but it isn't a reason to have a .la file accompanying a public library) None of these apply to an "ordinary" public shared library in Debian. S -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20110530111613.ga16...@reptile.pseudorandom.co.uk