[gnutls-dev] Guile related 'make install' failure

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi,

Simon Josefsson <simon at josefsson.org> writes:

> ludo at gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) writes:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Simon Josefsson <simon at josefsson.org> writes:
>>
>>> Right, it is the same problem as for perl, python, emacs etc and other
>>> similar systems that use a local package repository.  I think the best
>>> we can do is to offer these options:
>>>
>>> 1: Install GnuTLS guile bindings under our $prefix, and ask users to put
>>> the directory in their load-path.
>>>
>>> 2: Ask users to configure using
>>> --with-guile-site-dir=/usr/share/guile/site and getting the proper
>>> rights to that directory.
>>
>> The idea of having something that purposefully fails by default seems
>> questionable.  :-)
>
> Hm, it wouldn't fail if the user did acquire the proper rights on the
> directory, would it?  Some people do './configure && make' as a user,
> and then run 'make install' as root.  Then #2 would work.

Sure, this would work.  By "fails by default", I meant this:

  $ ./configure && make && sudo make install
  $ guile
  guile> (use-modules (gnutls))
  <unnamed port>: no code for module (gnutls)

Users would have to go through the manual or `README' and find out the
right option.

> If the user builds with --prefix=/usr, the guile paths will be
> correct.

But `$(GUILE_SITE)' could be anything outside `/usr'.

> I believe it is more important to not install anything outside of
> $prefix by default.

Well, we definitely have to make a compromise.  I won't fight strongly
against having Guile code installed under `$prefix'.  Nevertheless, I
believe that Guile users will likely be surprised to see that it
"doesn't work out of the box".

BTW, Libtool issues a message at installation-time in this sort of
circumstance:

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Libraries have been installed in:
     /usr/local/lib

  If you ever happen to want to link against installed libraries
  in a given directory, LIBDIR, you must either use libtool, and
  specify the full pathname of the library, or use the `-LLIBDIR'
  flag during linking and do at least one of the following:
     - add LIBDIR to the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH' environment variable
       during execution
     - add LIBDIR to the `LD_RUN_PATH' environment variable
       during linking
     - use the `-Wl,--rpath -Wl,LIBDIR' linker flag
     - have your system administrator add LIBDIR to `/etc/ld.so.conf'

Maybe something similar should be done when installing Guile modules?

For the time being, let's say we can keep you approach and see if we get
feedback.

Thanks,
Ludovic.