Re: Can we get rid of auto-linking?

From: Alexander Grund (alexander.grund_at_[hidden])
Date: 2024-04-29 08:05:18

> I've always felt that auto-linking should have been disabled by default.
>
> But then I remember users complaining when it is:
> https://github.com/boostorg/boost_install/issues/54


For CMake it doesn't really make sense to enable it, so this is a user 
error. You are supposed to link to what you use and the error is usually 
pretty clear if that happens at all. Same as with pretty much any other 
library.
The unified header directory might mask such mistakes though.

> Note how in both these cases autolink exposes a problem with
> BOOST_ALL_DYN_LINK not being defined, even though the user is
> trying to use a Boost .dll.
One reason against autolink: It decides the use of static vs dynamic 
libraries depending on a preprocessor define, good luck getting that 
right in a portable way...
Been bitten by that too, although IIRC it was Boost.Test where it wasn't 
exactly clear if "it" found the static or dynamic libraries especially 
given that "some systems" have import libraries that go with the dynamic 
ones but look like static ones.