My view is that it is not an OpenJDK issue, but a package maintainer's issue.
I think whether other LInux distros want to include a pkg-config file is a matter for them to decide. My view is that it's easy to add to a distro, but no-one will do it unless someone starts. I don't think Ubuntu need follow anyone else's lead on this - they can take the lead, as a major distro. Until someone actually does this, no one will. No consensus will form until it's already been done somewhere. I do not see any way for the OpenJDK people to maintain pkg-config files for distributions they do not ultimately control. So it's down to individual distros. I think the very long gestation time we've already had in the community shows it's won;t happen until someone takes the lead. The whole point of a pkg-config is to be provide a method for accessing resources that is package independent. Where the package maintainers place files should be left to them. But the pkg-config files are so useful and simple it's hard to see a justification for omitting them. I might suggest they should be standard for practically all applications that have developer components, but that's beyond the scope of this bug. Thanks. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of OpenJDK, which is subscribed to openjdk-7 in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1518741 Title: A pkg-config file is need for OpenJDK distributions Status in openjdk-7 package in Ubuntu: New Bug description: When developing using JNI ( either to start a JVM or to develop native support files for classes ), you need to compile and link against <jni.h> and libjvm.so. The normal way for developers to do this on Linux systems is to use pkg-config to get the required paths for --cflags and --libs and avoid hardwiring paths into make and other build files. However OpenJDK does not supply a pkg-config file, which is a shame as it's a very simple file to add to the package. I would make three observations in this regards : 1. In practical terms libraries should be the normal search path for Linux libraries, so that they can be found by linkers ( ld ) without complex configurations. Having the Java libraries in a completely separate location is not ideal. However, failing the uatomatic installation of a symbolic link in e.g. /usr/lib to the Java runtime libraries, having them accessible via a standard mechanism like pkg- config would be some help. 2. While a pkg-config would be a big help, without libraries being installed on standard paths people distributing non-Java applications that wish to start their own JVM have problems ensuring the application will launch without knowledge of where on the system the Java runtime libraries are. A symbolic link or similar to the Java libs would be useful in it's own right 3. Any symbolic links should probably be made against /usr/lib/jvm /default-path and not the canonical path to the files proper. This allows more flexibility. Thanks, Stephen Geary To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openjdk-7/+bug/1518741/+subscriptions _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openjdk Post to : [email protected] Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openjdk More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
