From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org>
Subject: Re: Symlinks to generic names
Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:32:21 -0500
Message-ID: <87eh3me4mi.fsf@netris.org>
References: <20140201082105.GA1181@jocasta.intra>
	<87r47mads0.fsf@karetnikov.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Return-path: <guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>
Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:32882)
	by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <mhw@netris.org>) id 1W9kzq-0007P2-Qm
	for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:33:20 -0500
Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <mhw@netris.org>) id 1W9kzk-0007gw-1S
	for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:33:14 -0500
Received: from world.peace.net ([96.39.62.75]:42037)
	by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <mhw@netris.org>) id 1W9kzj-0007ay-U2
	for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:33:07 -0500
In-Reply-To: <87r47mads0.fsf@karetnikov.org> (Nikita Karetnikov's message of
	"Sat, 01 Feb 2014 22:28:15 +0400")
List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution."
	<guix-devel.gnu.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/options/guix-devel>,
	<mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel>
List-Post: <mailto:guix-devel@gnu.org>
List-Help: <mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/guix-devel>,
	<mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=subscribe>
Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org
Sender: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org
To: Nikita Karetnikov <nikita@karetnikov.org>
Cc: guix-devel@gnu.org

Nikita Karetnikov <nikita@karetnikov.org> writes:

>> Some software (rightly or wrongly) tries to build with "lex" and "yacc" .  Guix does not provide these.
>> Instead we have "flex" and "bison".  Most operating systems have symbolic links lex -> flex and yacc -> bison.
>> Shouldn't we provide these too?
>
> I guess this should solve the problem (untested):
>
> (inputs
>   `(("lex" ,flex)
>     ("yacc" ,bison)
>     ...))

No, this wouldn't work.  Those strings ("lex" and "yacc" above) do not
become commands on the filesystem, so they won't be visible to a build
system that's looking for lex or yacc.  They are merely used within the
derivation to refer to the inputs.

Implementing John's suggestion would involve installing symbolic links
in /nix/store/*-flex-* and /nix/store/*-bison-* in the flex and bison
recipes, which I guess means adding a new phase to those recipes.

      Mark