Re: gnuplot-4.2.rc1: --program-suffix and gnuplot_x11

[Daniel J S. <dan...@ie...>]

Ethan Merritt wrote:
> On Thursday 05 October 2006 12:07 pm, Daniel J Sebald wrote:
> 
>> > I just leave the patched executable in the patched source
>> > directory where it was built, and setenv GNUPLOT_DRIVER_DIR
>> > to point there if I want to test it.
>>
>>but that isn't exactly the most proficient method.  I'd have to keep
>>changing GNUPLOT_DRIVER_DIR if I want to alternate between "gnuplot"
>>and "mygnuplot"
> 
> 
> Huh?  We're talking about gnuplot_x11, not gnuplot.  It doesn't
> make any difference which gnuplot executable you are using.

Yes, unless the source file gplt_x11.c in gnuplot's src subdirectory is one of the files that is altered.  It hasn't happened in a major way for a while, but as recent as 7/21 was a small change.


>>From the standpoint of a multiuser environment like a computer
>>center
> 
> 
> Stop right there. The issue is not multi-user; the issue is
> multiple machines seen by *one* user.
> 
> I have two different machines at my desk (x86 and amd64) and
> have gnuplot installed also on 64-bit alpha and both 
> 32- and 64- bit irix machines on the same network. 
> Various windows on my desktop may be logged in to various of
> these machines.  Fun, huh?   

Right, I didn't state that clearly, I too was thinking a networked environment where a user might log in remotely or something.

> 
> And if my login directory is shared via NFS by some or all of
> these architectures, then the appropriate run path has to
> be constructed every time I log in, since if I log in on 
> a 32-bit Irix workstation the 64-bit linux executable isn't
> going to do me much good.
> 
> The last thing I want is to have to remember to type
> gnuplot_amd64 instead of gnuplot_irix5 depending on which
> machine is listening to the window I'm typing into.
> The name should always be "gnuplot", and the path should make
> it 'just work'.

But that isn't custom.  These versions are essentially the same version on a different environment.  I said there definitely needs to be the behavior you are describing.

All I'm saying is that it is conceivable that a person might want to have two slightly different version of gnuplot around with two different names.  This --program-suffix=? syntax seems like something for that.  The worst that can happen is that there ends up being a "gnuplot_x11" and "gnuplot_x11_spiff" that are the same exact program.

On the other hand, --program-suffix=? seems like a clumsy way of dealing with the multi-environment issue you are talking about; GNUPLOT_DRIVER_DIR is the big winner there.  (I wouldn't advocate GNUPLOT_DRIVER_DIR as a cure all for the case of creating custom or development versions.)

But GNUPLOT_DRIVER_DIR is run time; what about during build?  Well, from what I understand, the autoconf configuration method currently in place doesn't yet build good directory structure to make the multi-environment process seamless.  We need something like

/usr/local/lib<environment>/gnuplot/VERSION

which gets <environment> from, say, an environment variable defined on the machine in which gnuplot is compiled?

Am I right on that?

Dan