From ddc3e662578c37074722923904701067738cb4bc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: midipix Date: Tue, 3 May 2016 19:12:22 -0400 Subject: project: added a pragraph about .la wrappers to the README document. --- README | 19 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+) (limited to 'README') diff --git a/README b/README index 5cd8965..dc8c5a9 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -76,6 +76,25 @@ While `slibtool` aims to be compatible with all common usages of libtool at the build system level, there exist several differences at the implementation level that should be noted. +- `.la wrappers` are always generated, but by default are never installed; + `.la wrappers` contain key information that is provided to libtool when + generating a shared library or static archive, and which is needed when + passing the archive or library as an input argument in .la form to the + compiler driver in subsequent link steps. Since `slibtool` is entirely + independent of the above wrappers with respect to its own functionality, + and given its announced goal to remain compatible with the script-based + libtool as much as possible, `slibtool`'s behavior is to always produce + `.la wrappers` on the one hand, yet fully ignore their content on the + other. + + Despite their internal nature, installed .la wrappers are often [ab]used + in strange and mysterious ways by distro-related tools other than libtool + itself. For the sake of distributions that depend on the aforementioned + wrappers, slibtool comes with three special symlinks named `clibtool`, + `clibtool-shared`, and `clibtool-static`, respectively. The `'c'` in + `clibtool` stands for `compatible`, and accordingly indicates an end-user's + preference towards perfect emulation of legacy behavior. + - `-rpath` argument values are passed to the compiler and linker as needed only; `-rpath` is often [mis]used by libtool to add redundant paths to a program's linker search path. When using slibtool, `-rpath` argument values are only -- cgit v1.2.3