pkg-config-lite

[Paul Bender]

On 3/30/2012 9:49 PM, Tollef Fog Heen wrote:
> ]] Paul Bender
>
>> Making pkg-config dependent on anything will ensure that pkg-config is
>> dropped over time. The inane idea that it is ok to make pkg-config
>> depend on a package that uses pkg-config is sure to guarantee that
>> distributions will not update pkg-config. I maintain a Linux
>> distribution and I have no plans to upgrade pkg-config because of the
>> the inane decision to create this dependency. Because of this
>> decision, I expect that within five years pkg-config will no longer
>> exist. Nobody maintaining a distribution wants this circular
>> dependency. Therefore, we will end up dropping pkg-config.
>
> Such a circular dependency is quite common in lower parts of the
> toolchain, so people bootstrapping distributions have to deal with this
> anyway.  For people not maintaining toolchains, it's not a problem.

It is not "quite common". I maintain a toolchain, so I know. The only 
circular dependency is between gcc and glibc. Based on your statement 
you must not maintain a toolchain.

I will continue to use version 0.25, as all newer versions have decided 
to make it unnecessary difficult. If it continues, I have no doubt 
either pkg-config will fork or pkg-config will die.