Re: Installing Boost (WAS: Re: [boost] Re: Why Jam?)

From: Gilles J. Seguin (segg_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-03-01 02:47:26

Rainer Deyke wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Douglas Paul Gregor" <gregod_at_[hidden]>
> To: <boost_at_[hidden]>
> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2002 2:15 PM
> Subject: Re: Installing Boost (WAS: Re: [boost] Re: Why Jam?)
> 
> > Is the average user likely to have multiple versions of Boost in
> > his/her system? Or perhaps there's a better set of questions:
> >   1) Is the average user likely to have multiple versions of the
> >      Boost headers on his/her system?
> 
> Whenever I start a new project that uses Boost, I download the latest
> version.  I usually don't upgrade older projects to the latest version
> of Boost.  I currently have three versions of Boost, all of them in
> use.

This situation is custom practice for developpers and for
user's system.  All applications can not be at the same level
of confidence relative to version released.

Extreme case are like the Red Hat rawhide, where header files
and libraries diverge not only on the minor release number but
also on the major release number.

Providing such capabilities allow developpers to release advance
version of the application for testing and reviewing.

> >   2) Is the average user likely to have multiple versions of the
> >      Boost compiler libraries on his/her system?
> 
> I do not currently use a part of Boost that is not headers-only, but
> that's just a coincidence.  I can also imagine needing the same Boost
> libraries compiled under different compiler settings.
> 
> When I do use compiled Boost libraries, I always make sure that the
> version of the headers matches the version of the libraries.  Anything
> else is not likely to work correctly.

The obligation of having only one version of a library
was causing slow adoption of new release of that library.
Or nightmare for administator, like polution of /usr/lib
with myLibrary-x.y.z.config

I strongly beleived on tools like pkgconfig on which you can
query for availability of headers and library version and having
a directory where you can managed those packages configuration.
Thus, for linux system installation will have to compose with
another tool. And also for configuration.