Re: static vs shared (was: Re: Win vs. UNIX usability )

[Liss Svanberg <lisss ydab se>]

In a previous letter Alan Shutko [ats@acm.org] wrote:

> L> The windows shared library problem doesn't exist becuse they have
> L> got a different format, it's because virtally every little stupid
> L> program comes with it's own shared librarys.  UNIX (or Gnome or any
> L> app enviroment/OS) can end up there too...  (... and I wouldn't
> L> like it that way)
>
> No, that's not the problem at all.  If every application came with
> itss own shared libraries _and left other apps libs alone_, there
> would be no problems.

Of course. Other than that each application would reside unnessesarily in 
multiple places.

> But that's not the way it is on Windows.  Apps commonly install copies
> of whatever shared libraries they used, such as the ones which come
> with their compiler, ones which come with the OS, etc.  There's no
<snip>
> In contrast, I don't see that on Unix or in Gnome.  Apps use shared
> libraries when they want to share functionality between apps.

You can write an installation that copies your own libs over the system's 
libs in UNIX too.
You has to be root if you want to run it, but it's actually only a matter 
of attitude.
If window's apps simply told you that "to install this app, you need 
ServicePack3 & Office97", and then refused to install anything as long as 
you hadn't installed those libraries, windows would not have had those 
problems.
If someone makes a gnomeApplication, that installs it's own Gnome libraries 
whithout prompting, then you are there anyway.

Anyway, I think I get your point. It's a windows attitude to do so?
I do not have to worry, because UNIX programmers will never do such ugly 
things, right?
(And, yes you are right when you assume that mindows "multitasks" better 
between an application and a dll, than it does between its threads whithin 
the app)

Okay, I must have missunderstood some intentions... :(

> For example, would you want the GNOME libs staticly linked into
<snip>
Didn't I write something in the first letter about this? Operating systems, 
and every other application that offeres a surrounding enviroment for other 
applications should of course provide shared librarys. What I dislike is 
small standalone applications that provides their own shared librarys.

Perhaps I should end this letter, saying that I never intended to insult 
anyone.
I really hope that it never sounded as if I said that the Gnome developers 
did someting stupid.
(So far, I think that Gnome is great. And UNIX too. I just felt worried 
that things might change in the future.)


mvh
// Liss
liss@ydab.se