[Dovecot] configure change for 1.0.beta8

[Mike Brudenell]

Greetings -

--On 19 May 2006 06:48:33 +1000 grant beattie <grant at grunta.com> wrote:

> I disagree with adding /usr/sfw to the default paths that are
> searched. what if you have another installation of it somewhere else
> and want to use that one? this approach closes doors for other sysadmins
> who may not wish to use /usr/sfw mysql.
>
> the right way to do this is to set CPPFLAGS/CFLAGS/LDFLAGS in your
> environment when you call configure. configure will then find the
> libraries and headers in exactly where you've told it to.
>
> leaving things to chance by trying to be smart about auto detecting
> stuff in configure is almost always fraught with danger, and at the
> very least it can make life difficult for others.

Could I voice my agreement with Grant: I lost nearly 2 days trying to get 
Dovecot to build and work with SSL support.  Why?  Because I was trying to 
use the Blastwave distribution of OpenSSL: I had remember to add the 
"-I..." to the environment variable but had overlooked "-L..." (being so 
used to the run-time link editor's search-path resolving these).

The trouble was that a Sun FreeWare version of OpenSSL had crept onto the 
system that was older than the Blastwave one, and Dovecot's autoconfigure 
scripts use of "pkg-config" had sniffed the latter out to link against.

After I'd eventually convinced myself I hadn't mucked up the certificates 
etc I found the real problem and easily fixed it.

But for me the less sniffing around an autoconfigure system does to track 
down libraries the better.  In my case a comiple/link time "unresolved 
symbols" would have given me the clue I needed within minutes, rather than 
giving me an executable that crashed when I tried to establish a secure 
connection and a mystery to solve.

Cheers,
Mike B-)

-- 
The Computing Service, University of York, Heslington, York Yo10 5DD, UK
Tel:+44-1904-433811  FAX:+44-1904-433740

* Unsolicited commercial e-mail is NOT welcome at this e-mail address. *