Re: gettext/libiconv and libtool problem

[Charles Wilson <cygwin at cwilson dot fastmail dot fm>]

Roger While wrote:
> 
> gettext has a requirement on libiconv2.
> libiconv2 contains only the cygiconv dll and nothing else.
> 
> OK. So we have a typical (libtooled) autoconf/automake configure which has
> a AM_GNU_GETTEXT([external]).
> 
> Fine, the configure proceeds and produces something like -
> 
> checking for GNU gettext in libc... no
> checking for iconv... no, consider installing GNU libiconv
> checking for GNU gettext in libintl... yes
> checking whether to use NLS... yes
> checking where the gettext function comes from... external libintl
> checking how to link with libintl... -lintl
> 
> etc.
> Also fine.
> 
> We then do the make which blows up with -
> 
> libtool: link: cannot find the library `/usr/lib/libiconv.la' or
> unhandled argument
> `/usr/lib/libiconv.la'

This means that the libiconv development files are a *build-time*
dependency of whatever you're compiling.  They are not *run-time*
dependencies of any of the binaries in the gettext package.

gettext.exe works just fine, without libiconv.la
ditto ngettext.exe
ditto ditto envsubst.exe

The cygwin setup.hint requires: flag is used to represent *run-time*
dependencies, not "stuff that would probably be nice to have installed
along with package A, IF you are using package A in /this/ particular
way, and then later run all this other stuff while compiling package C".

The gettext binaries run without error.  They may, perhaps, leave traces
in configure scripts -- such that when you run that configure script,
and then later run make, which runs gcc, which runs ld, you may find
that at THAT time, you'd need libiconv.la.

No way is that a "run-time" requirement of the original gettext binaries.

--
Chuck

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