Re: [boost] [pkg-boost-devel] Boost.Python: Build and Install with Python 2.4 and 2.5?

From: Steve M. Robbins (steve_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-02-28 02:06:26

On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 08:43:43AM -0500, Stefan Seefeld wrote:

> (I still don't see the problem: Source packages don't depend on binary  
> packages, only binary packages do. 

Source packages *do*, in fact, depend on binary packages.  Each source
package describes exactly the packages required to build the source;
e.g. whether Qt3 libraries or X11 libraries are needed.  These are
called "build-time dependencies" or "build-deps" for short.

> And if you package your extension module you are in control of what
> python version(s) you build against, no ?)

That's a true statement.  

Several extension modules will, in fact, build for both Python 2.4 and
2.5.  Now imagine an extension module that uses Boost.Python.  As
mentioned, it must have the relevant build-deps.  To support this, the
relevant boost-python development packages must be co-installable
(i.e. not conflict with each other).

It's not yet clear to me whether this is an achievable goal, but it
would be nice.

Regards,
-Steve