R devel - Aug 2005 - test for readline installation fails if installation location non-standard (PR#8104)

Full_Name: D Kreil
Version: 2.1.1
OS: HP-UX B.11.23 U ia64 0029870451 unlimited-user license
Submission from: (NULL) (62.178.15.60)


When the dependency readline is installed in a non-standard location the
installation procedure fails.
If using a non-standard installation location like

  --prefix=/bi/common --exec-prefix=/bi/arch

the configure script default include and library paths should adapt accordingly.
They don't (/usr/local defaults remain).

Workaround:

  CPPFLAGS=-I/bi/common/include LDFLAGS=-L/bi/arch/lib ./configure

This should not be necessary, I think.

Best regards,

D Kreil.

rbug05 at kreil.org writes:
> Full_Name: D Kreil
> Version: 2.1.1
> OS: HP-UX B.11.23 U ia64 0029870451 unlimited-user license
> Submission from: (NULL) (62.178.15.60)
> 
> 
> When the dependency readline is installed in a non-standard location the
> installation procedure fails.
> If using a non-standard installation location like
> 
>   --prefix=/bi/common --exec-prefix=/bi/arch
> 
> the configure script default include and library paths should adapt
accordingly.
> They don't (/usr/local defaults remain).
> 
> Workaround:
> 
>   CPPFLAGS=-I/bi/common/include LDFLAGS=-L/bi/arch/lib ./configure
> 
> This should not be necessary, I think.
This is inherited from GNU autotools and apparently they think it
should. It is most certainly not a bug.

Presumably, the rationale is that the install target is not
necessarily releated to your build tools and libraries. You could have
--prefix=. or --prefix=$HOME/tools or whatever. If so, there is some
danger of picking up a home-built and outdated version instead of the
system one.

-- 
   O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             ?ster Farimagsgade 5, Entr.B
  c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     PO Box 2099, 1014 Cph. K
 (*) \(*) -- University of Copenhagen   Denmark          Ph:  (+45) 35327918
~~~~~~~~~~ - (p.dalgaard at biostat.ku.dk)                  FAX: (+45) 35327907

Dear Peter,

Fair enough. For many people who install R without root rights, however, this 
is a first stumbling block so perhaps it might be worthwhile adding it to an 
"Installation how-to" document.

I found another hicup:

ld: Unsatisfied symbol "finite" in file colors.o

Fix: replace "finite" with R_FINITE in colors.c line 269.

Do you want this separately submitted via Jitterbug?

With best regards,

David.


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Dr David Philip Kreil               
Research Fellow, Darwin College,  | WWTF Vienna Science Chair of
University of Cambridge           | Bioinformatics, Dept of Biotechnology,
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