xaw_use_xprint and XAW_CHECK_XPRINT_SUPPORT auto detected

[Donnie Berkholz]

On 14:57 Sat 22 Mar     , Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> lib/libXaw/xaw.m4 provides:
> 
>   "If neither --enable-xprint nor --disable-xprint are given, the presence 
>   of an Xaw with Xprint support will be auto detected."
> 
> Is that auto-detection necessary?
> 
> It makes inconsistent builds of xman and xlogo for example. Those are the 
> two I have learned problems about, but now I see many apps use it.
> 
> If it detects, then it adds additional dependencies: xprintutil and xp.
> 
> I think that it should be enabled or disabled but not auto-detected.
> 
> What are other packagers doing for this -- explicitely defining 
> --disable-xprint?
> 
> As for "auto-detection" of features -- what other examples does Xorg have 
> of this -- and when is it acceptable and not acceptable?

I think autodetection is always acceptable as the default behavior, as 
long as the feature can also be switched on or off by a configure flag. 
That produces an easier default build. As distributors, we should force 
it whichever way we want to create deterministic dependencies. Take a 
look at xorg-server, almost everything is autodetected.

Thanks,
Donnie