# pkgconf pkgconf provides compiler and linker configuration for development frameworks. ## general summary 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) 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. ## compiling pkgconf is basically compiled the same way any other autotools-based project is compiled: $ ./configure $ make $ sudo make install ## reporting bugs see .