Bug#575259: mpi-default-dev doesn't ensure that the right implementation is used

[Manuel Prinz]

Am Donnerstag, den 25.03.2010, 18:28 +0100 schrieb Thibaut Paumard:
> No, with the prioriy of OpenMPI raised above that of MPICH2, and with  
> the idea of switching from LAM to MPICH2 on the other arches, my patch  
> does not bring any _immediate_ benefit. It's a proposal for a longer  
> term solution, but you seem to have other ideas and you have time to  
> let them mature.

Don't get me wrong: I appreciate your efforts but currently I'm
interested in getting over with the transition soon. As your patch does
no harm, I guess I will apply it. I might make the step to the "real"
solution easier.

You're right with the long term solution: I have something different in
mind. If you're interested, we can discuss that outside this bug report.
Every discussion about that will hopefully avoid further screw-up. ;)

> Something to clarify: my understanding is that mpi-default is a  
> _Debian_ default, not local default. The problem with the sysadmin  
> setting the alternative is not relevant for buildds, and is addressed  
> by using the mpicc.default et al. links instead of mpicc. Dealing with  
> a local default looks more difficult, requiring a rebuild a little bit  
> like kernel modules, which IMHO would be more complex than providing  
> the two variant openmpi and mpich2 in the first place.

Exactly. I currently only care for the buildds. But switching the local
default and having mpi-defaults-dev installed on a developer machine
should be possible; this is the long-term solution mentioned above. This
I also care for, but I do not care for it with respect to the
transition.

Anyway, thanks again for your help and this discussion! It's always nice
to see people sharing the same goals!

Best regards,
Manuel