From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Should libXt-devel be required to build Emacs? Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:17:44 +0200 Message-ID: References: <45878CD9.7020703@swipnet.se> <45884D35.7090402@swipnet.se> <45895E29.4050203@swipnet.se> <87y7p2zfi7.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <8764c5uv7s.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <87vek4dcpi.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <458B8CA9.2040304@swipnet.se> Reply-To: Eli Zaretskii NNTP-Posting-Host: dough.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1166786291 14470 80.91.229.10 (22 Dec 2006 11:18:11 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:18:11 +0000 (UTC) Cc: sdl.web@gmail.com, cyd@stupidchicken.com, rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Dec 22 12:18:10 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by dough.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1GxiPg-0005E5-UL for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:18:09 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GxiPg-00039L-Co for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:18:08 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GxiPS-00034l-Vv for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:17:55 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GxiPR-0002z6-5D for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:17:54 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GxiPQ-0002yV-Vi for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:17:53 -0500 Original-Received: from [192.114.186.66] (helo=romy.inter.net.il) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1GxiPP-0003Zl-Eh; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:17:51 -0500 Original-Received: from HOME-C4E4A596F7 (IGLD-84-229-216-239.inter.net.il [84.229.216.239]) by romy.inter.net.il (MOS 3.7.3-GA) with ESMTP id GPK54413 (AUTH halo1); Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:17:40 +0200 (IST) Original-To: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Jan_Dj=E4rv?= In-reply-to: <458B8CA9.2040304@swipnet.se> (message from =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Jan_Dj=E4rv?= on Fri, 22 Dec 2006 08:43:37 +0100) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:64097 Archived-At: > Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 08:43:37 +0100 > From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Jan_Dj=E4rv?= > Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org, rms@gnu.org, sdl.web@gmail.com > > Chong Yidong skrev: > > Richard Stallman writes: > > > >> There's a problem with this: Autoconf 2.61 was only released in > >> November this year, and it requires a new version of M4 (1.4.8), which > >> in turn requires a new libc6. Most existing GNU/Linux distributions > >> won't have these packages (at least in their "stable" branches). > >> > >> That's not so bad. Most users don't need to rebuild the configure > >> file, so they won't have a problem. > >> > >> However, we could ask the Autoconf developers to release a patched > >> version 2.59.1 which fixes this bug and doesn't require a new M4. > > > > On the other hand, most users don't compile Emacs at all; they use > > pre-packaged binaries; those that do compile Emacs can surely install > > libXt-dev. > > I think one of the goals of Emacs is that an ordinary user shall be able to > compile and run a version for him/herself. An ordinary user can't install > libXt-dev. I'm in 100% agreement with Richard and Jan. Too many a package makes it horrendously hard to build it, by requiring you to install the latest-and-the-greatest of each supporting package and library, then the latest version, perhaps even a beta, of each dependency of those support packages, etc. etc., ad nauseam. I hope Emacs will never go that way, and I'm certainly gonna lobby that it doesn't. I vote for asking Autoconf maintainers to release 2.59.1 with this bug fixed.