Re: Making prerequisites easy

[sopwith redhat com (Elliot Lee)]

On Thu, 15 Oct 1998 22:33:58 -0400, Keith Wright <kwright@tiac.net> wrote:

>In the case you cited (audio), and perhaps more generally, I would prefer
>modular functionality over prerequisites.  That is, rather than making
>the audio library required, make it configurable at compile time and
>required only if audio is requested.  There are many computers that
>have no speakers attached, offices where unnecessary noises would
>not be welcome, deaf people, etc...  They should be able to build
>without wasting disk space on a big audio library.  On the other
>hand, the configuration option that enables sound support should
>be the same for all programs, and if one chooses audio support
>then all programs should share the same library where possible.  

The problem with modularity is that in some cases it is on the other side of
the fence from tight integration ;-)

-- Elliot
"In film you will find four basic story lines. Man versus man, man
 versus nature, nature versus nature, and dog versus vampire."
    - Steven Spielberg