Bug#186778: ExtUtils::Embed problem when libperl-dev not installed

[Dominic Hargreaves]

On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 08:47:49AM +0300, Niko Tyni wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 29, 2003 at 02:51:57PM -0600, Stephen Waters wrote:
> > Package: perl-modules
> > Version: 5.8.0-17
> > 
> > When perl-modules is installed but libperl-dev is not, ExtUtils::Embed
> > incorrectly reports -lperl to be available.
> 
> > If
> > 
> > perl -MExtUtils::Embed -e ccopts
> > and
> > perl -MExtUtils::Embed -e ldopts
> > 
> > return valid data and we find xsubpp, I'm going to say that your installation is
> > broken, and there's nothing we should do about it. If perl's saying
> > "here's -lperl, really, right over here..." and that lib doesn't really
> > exist, it isn't our fault. Uninstalling libperl-dev should uninstall the
> > headers and ExtUtils::Embed packages, no questions asked.
> 
> Yes, it seems to me that ExtUtils::Embed belongs in libperl-dev. 
> 
> Brendan, what's the rationale for the current organization? 
> I see you fixed #155319 in 5.8.0-7 by documenting the situation
> in the ExtUtils::Embed manpage rather than moving the module.
> 
> No other module in perl-modules requires ExtUtils::Embed AFAICS, so that
> part should not be a problem. Also, I expect that every package that
> needs ExtUtils::Embed already depends on libperl-dev as the module is
> quite useless otherwise.

No response from Brendan in the bug log, but I don't see why we
shouldn't bite the bullet and do this.

> If ExtUtils::Embed is moved, I suppose we could put a documentation
> stub in perl-modules that points to the libperl-dev package.
> (However, a stub module throwing an error seems too invasive to me.)

I'm not sure that a stub is needed; a changelog entry should be
enough for this edge case.

-- 
Dominic Hargreaves | http://www.larted.org.uk/~dom/
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