pkgconf/README.md

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# pkgconf
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pkgconf provides compiler and linker configuration for development frameworks.
## general summary
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pkgconf is a program which helps to configure compiler and linker flags for
development frameworks. It is similar to pkg-config, but was written from
scratch in Summer of 2011 to replace pkg-config, which now needs itself to
build itself (or you can set a bunch of environment variables, both are
pretty ugly.)
Implementations of pkg-config, such as pkgconf are typically used with the
PKG_CHECK_MODULES autoconf macro. As far as I (nenolod) know, pkgconf is
compatible with all known variations of this macro. However, I have not
extensively tested yet for compatibility. pkgconf detects at runtime
whether or not it was started as 'pkg-config', and if so, attempts to set
program options in a way where it's behaviour should be similar.
In terms of the autoconf macro, it is possible to specify the PKG_CONFIG
environment variable, so that you can test pkgconf without overwriting your
pkg-config binary. (hint: export PKG_CONFIG=/usr/bin/pkgconf) However,
if you do this, it will be running in native mode, so you may have some very
strange results as the dependency graph is compiled differently in native
mode.
## technical design (why pkgconf is better for distros)
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pkgconf builds an acyclic directed dependency graph. This allows for the user
to more conservatively link their binaries -- which may be helpful in some
environments, such as when prelink(1) is being used. As a result of building
a directed dependency graph designed for the specific problem domain provided
by the user, more accurate dependencies can be determined. pkg-config, on the
other hand builds a database of all known pkg-config files on the system before
attempting to resolve dependencies, which is a considerably slower and less
efficient design.
pkgconf also does not bundle any third-party libraries or depend on any third-party
libraries, making it a great tool for embedded systems and distributions with
security concerns.
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## compiling
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pkgconf is basically compiled the same way any other autotools-based project is
compiled:
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$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install
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## release tarballs
Release tarballs are available at <http://tortois.es/~nenolod/distfiles>.
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## reporting bugs
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See <https://github.com/nenolod/pkgconf/issues>.