Binutils does not install libiberty.a

[Chris Staub]

Binutils 2.24 no longer installs libiberty.a by default. There is an "--enable-install-libiberty" configure switch, but it doesn't seem to do anything. It is still compiled (even if "--enable-install-libiberty" is not specified), but not installed, so right above the command to copy the libiberty header should be::

install -v -m644 libiberty/libiberty.a /usr/lib

[WilliamImm]

The alternative solution would be (as you actually discussed in the Binutils-2.24 ticket) to let GCC install libiberty.

[ken@…]

I *was* going to stick my head above the parapet and ask why LFS should care about libiberty ? I don't recall the full details of an earlier thread, which was many years ago, but my conclusion was that any package which needs (or cares) about libiberty ought to provide its own version so that it doesn't get messed up by version changes. The following packages are known to care, and ship their own versions: binutils, gcc, gdb. And I felt confident in asserting that we don't need libiberty because I've not only built my own (relatively minimalist) desktop _without_ installing libiberty.a, I've also built and installed or DESTDIR installed everything in BLFS when testing make-4.0 a couple of months ago without needing it.

Note the "was" at the start of that paragraph :-( I googled trying to find references, and any notes on packages which require libiberty. The kernel's perf subsystem requires, or has required, libiberty, e.g. ​http://www.jethrocarr.com/2011/07/17/where-is-my-liberty/ .

So I guess we ought to have it from either binutils or gcc.

[bdubbs@…]

I will test changing gcc to install libiberty.a. I'd rather remove a sed in gcc than add another instruction to binutils.

[bdubbs@…]

Fixed at revision 10427.

[WilliamImm]

Er, Bruce, shouldn't you also remove "--disable-install-libiberty" from the GCC configure command?