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Date:      Fri, 9 Apr 1999 16:22:23 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Mikhail Teterin <mi@misha.cisco.com>
To:        garbanzo@hooked.net (Alex Zepeda)
Cc:        current@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: -soname and shared libs (was Re: /sys/boot, egcs vs. gcc, -Os)
Message-ID:  <199904092022.QAA61789@misha.cisco.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.05.9904091107330.2335-100000@zippy.dyn.ml.org> from Alex Zepeda at "Apr 9, 1999 11:11:21 am"

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Alex Zepeda once wrote:

> > This is a good knews. Does this mean, I can drop-in some GTk library
> > and make libXaw.so a symlink to it? This would only support my
> > point...
 
> That's like trying to replace libz with libc. Did you notice what I
> said about the themes?
 
I noticed, that you discarded my example of a useful drop-in replacement
of shared libXaw.so with libXaw3d.so, saying:

	az: Besides, most of the functionality that libXaw3d
	az: provides over libXaw is provided by Gtk+ themes.

This lead me to conclude, you are aware of some other drop-in replacement
for libXaw.

> > But in any case, the drop-in replacement is one of the promises
> > shared libraries pledge to deliver and do indeed deliver quite
> > often. Using smth like -soname _may_ break this, if the run-time
> > linker will refuse to use a different version of a library even if I
> > want it to.

> Drop in replacements are perhaps a promise to you, but hardly a
> guarantee.

I resent the personal reference here.

> The reason shared lib numbers were bumped up (or this was proposed
> anyways) was because of source and binary incompatable changes being
> made. Leaving the version number the same would introduce problems.

I have no objections whatsoever to changes to shared lib numbers. I
oppose to storing the information _in the binary_ and _relying on it_.
The initial post I responded to, did not suggest such reliance outside
of resolving interports' dependencies, but I'm afraid we may end up
using it in the run-time linker.
 
> Nothing's stopping you from creating a replacement for an older
> version of Gtk+ or symlinking a specific version of Gtk+ to another
> library.

Nothing currently does, indeed.

> Besides why whine hopelessly about something I'm sure you're never
> going to do? Think about all the other things that shared libs
> provide, like a reduction in disk and memory usage.

As I mentioned, I'm using libXaw3d instead of libXaw on all of my
machines.  I also like NOT having to rebuild my little programs
when I install new TCL libraries. I'm glad I do not have to recompile
tcsh (and lots of other things) when I upgrade FreeBSD.

Reduction in disk and memory usage is indeed _another_ promise
shared libraries deliver... But it is NOT the one I was talking
about.

> Exhale once in a while.  It helps.

Yeah, right, will you shave your back then? I asked you privately
to change your tone and attitude, and to apologise. You refused.
This would be my last response to you on this subject (probably on
other subjects too).

	-mi


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