Re: obsoleting shlibs - what's the plan

[Hisashi T Fujinaka <htodd%twofifty.com@localhost>]

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008, Greg Troxel wrote:

> mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst) writes:
>
> This is now moot, as Luke said he fixed the set lists to remove the
> obsolete tag on the old libs.
>
> > I believe that programs linked against the old libraries
> > will not work or not work correctly when they start using
> > these libraries, i.e. when they call kerberos functions.
>
> Can you explain why?  Please assume that they worked correctly before
> the upgrade.

I'm afraid this is the reason I've sometimes had the "Oh, god, my system
is broken, time to wipe out pkgsrc and start over." Fortunately a 6YO P4
system is fast enough that I don't have to wait weeks for the recompile.

I'm not completely sure this is the reason, but once in a while (once or
twice a year at the most?) I've had to do this.

> That only follows from your unproven assertion above.

Heh. I resemble that comment.

> > We have two possible scenarios:
> >
> > - old libraries are dropped and programs linked against them will
> >   fail, telling everyone that the corresponding package probably
> >   needs a rebuild anyway.
>
> This is hostile to users and not the standard NetBSD practice.

I don't believe this is the case. The NetBSD way is to do secret things
that break -current and point and laugh at the outsiders who got bitten.
Wait, what were we talking about? :)

> > a -current system after a large subsystem was changed. I don't consider
> > this a problem or even worth this discussion.
>
> Many others consider it a problem; the NetBSD way is to be careful about
> binary compatibility.  It's not just about current; had this remained
> then it would also have happened from 4 to 5.

The NetBSD way, maybe, but not the pkgsrc way. Too many cats to herd.
I'd say break it and make people recompile and wish we had a way to
crosscompile so people like me who are running SPARCclassics don't have
a month of downtime.

--
Hisashi T Fujinaka - htodd%twofifty.com@localhost
BSEE(6/86) + BSChem(3/95) + BAEnglish(8/95) + MSCS(8/03) + $2.50 = latte