MESSAGE
| DATE | 2001-10-26 |
| FROM | David Sugar
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] Statically linked Redhat
|
First, it is incorrect that RPM dependencies only match simple strings.
The images that are packages are actually checked for their implicit
dynamic link library references. This is done by a special script in
/usr/lib/RPM, and is one of the reasons that the final step in RPM package
generation takes so long. The implicit .so references are then recorded
in addition to to the dependencies manually specified in the .spec file.
That being said, a well constructed and properly linked binary RPM package
will know what version of a given library (.so) file it depends on, and
will be able to report when it is missing. However, binary only rpm's are
a pain for this very reason. A .src rpm or tarball which offers a .spec
file (and of course source built with autoconf/automake) is very easy to
then rebuild correctly on a target machine as distributions change over
time.
The problem is not in RPM's packaging, but in the distribution of binary
only packages and source secret applications, which often are neither well
built for portablility nor well maintained since then only the oem can
make new packages for different or altered distributions and they rarely
have incentive to provide specialized or varient builds. Of course there
are many other disadvantages to source secret software, and reasons that
one should not ethically create and distribute such software.
David
On Fri, 26 Oct 2001, Ruben Safir wrote:
>
>
> That's not the problem. The problem is the continued use of compiled
> binaries,
> especially closed sources products like Oracle. It would be EASY if they
> used autoconf, make and source code.
>
>
> Ruben
>
> <> problem you have on windows machines... DLL hell. Oracle for example
> is linked against a specific version number of a number of libraries.
> and they only provide support for the "known to work" system.
>
> The other major problem is that dependency of packages, in rpm etc,
> are not as clear as most people think. (if you ever wondered it matches
> strings describing packages and not actual files) As such, distributions
> like Redhat are useful because everything is compiled against a common
> set of libraries. You have a known state, and the strings are good enough>>
>
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