Re: [Plib-devel] Question about plib - shared library

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

Roman Vasicek wrote:

> I'd like to ask you why plib does not exist as shared library? Is it possible
> to compile plib as a shared library and add support for it to makefile?

The problem is one of support.

Since PLIB is written in C++ and (more importantly) presents a C++ class-based
API to the application (an unusual thing for support libraries), you'd have
the problem that if the user upgraded the libplibXXX.so without recompiling
the application, you'd get strange crashes if there were even fairly minor
changes to /usr/include/plib/XXX.h

I'm not prepared to support all the hundreds of thousands of users who'd
run into those kinds of problems - so I don't particularly want DLL's or
Linux shared libraries to exist and I won't accept such modifications into
the build system in my distribution.

Additionally, you have to look at the benefits of going to a shared
library:

  * Automatic updates and bug fixes to binary applications when the
    library is upgraded.

    This is (IMHO) a *BAD* feature for libraries like PLIB...as I've
    already explained.

  * Saves disk space when multiple applications share the library.

    With modern disk capacities, I really don't care - and in any case,
    hardly anyone will ever own more than a couple of dozen PLIB applications.
    It's not like libc or something.

  * Saves RAM when multiple running applications use the library.

    The kinds of intensive, interactive applications that PLIB is designed
    for are seldom run in large numbers simultaneously.  Who ever runs
    10 games in parallel?!

  * Provides an LGPL 'loophole' for commercial applications that don't want
    to provide re-linkable binaries.

    This is actually the most reasonable reason - but IMHO, it's outweighed
    by the maintenance/reliability issues.

So, *NO* - no shared library versions *please*.


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