build: require libtool 2.4.2 #24650

1. 
   fanquake commented at 10:03 am on March 23, 2022: member

   Every system we support has 2.4.6 available, except for OpenBSD, which currently ships with 2.4.2 (released 2011). For now, set our minimum required version to that.

   After a 7 year hitus, 2.4.7 has also very recently been released: https://savannah.gnu.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=10139.

   Partially motivated by comments in #24615.

   See also: https://repology.org/project/libtool/versions

2. fanquake added the label Build system on Mar 23, 2022
3. 
   hebasto commented at 10:16 am on March 23, 2022: member

   Concept ACK.

   See also: https://repology.org/project/libtool/versions.

   Libtool 2.4.2 for OpenBSD?

4. 
   prusnak commented at 10:47 am on March 23, 2022: contributor

   Libtool 2.4.2 for OpenBSD?

   +1 for requiring Libtool 2.4.2 (released in 2011) to support OpenBSD

5. 
   MarcoFalke commented at 10:56 am on March 23, 2022: member

   Is there a reason for this bump? Does this have any effect on users or developers?
6. 
   hebasto commented at 10:57 am on March 23, 2022: member

   Is there a reason for this bump? Does this have any effect on users or developers?

   #24615 (review)

7. 
   MarcoFalke commented at 11:03 am on March 23, 2022: member

   In that case it should be bumped to 1.9, maybe updating the comment to mention the reason.
8. 
   fanquake commented at 11:32 am on March 23, 2022: member

   In that case it should be bumped to 1.9, maybe updating the comment to mention the reason.

   I disagree. Firstly, as I mentioned in #24615, I’m not actually sure about the changes there. Secondly, I don’t see a reason to not require a more modern version. For example, pre-2.4 libtool doesn’t support sysroot, and I don’t think pre-2.2.8 libtool properly supported 64 bit Windows builds (via mingw64), so updating to a more modern requirement actually reflects reality, rather than us pretending to support a libtool version that very likely just wouldn’t work, and certainly, nobody is testing.

   OpenBSD using 2.4.2 is a bit odd, and I’m curious to know why they might have remained pinned to an older version. However if that is the case, I think we should set our requirement to 2.4.2; then we are also able to assume improved LTO support when using GCC.

9. 
   MarcoFalke commented at 11:37 am on March 23, 2022: member

   Sure no objection, if there is an actual user-visible improvement (like LTO support). Though, if there isn’t, this just seems a bit like the “bump to python 37 for fun” pulls (#24017, #23270)
10. build: require libtool 2.4.2

    Every system we support has 2.4.6 available, except for OpenBSD, which
    currently ships with 2.4.2 (released 2011). For now, set our minimum
    required version to that.
    
    After a 7 year hitus, 2.4.7 has also very recently been released:
    https://savannah.gnu.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=10139.
    
    Partially motivated by comments in #24615.
    
    See also: https://repology.org/project/libtool/versions

    061accfddd
11. fanquake renamed this:
    build: require libtool 2.4.6
    build: require libtool 2.4.2
    on Mar 23, 2022
12. fanquake force-pushed on Mar 23, 2022
13. hebasto approved
14. 
    hebasto commented at 1:42 pm on March 23, 2022: member

    ACK 061accfddd2d27ad584c826413c68857d2be9ced
15. 
    fanquake commented at 1:42 pm on March 23, 2022: member

    Sure no objection, if there is an actual user-visible improvement (like LTO support).

    I think even when there isn’t a direct, user-visible improvement, making the requirements stated in the build system, better reflect reality, is worthwhile.

    I’ve change this to requiring 2.4.2. I’m not quite sure why OpenBSD is still using 2.4.2 (https://github.com/openbsd/ports/blob/master/devel/libtool/Makefile). Other BSDs, i.e FreeBSD, ship with 2.4.6, and OpenBSD ships with modern versions of other GNU tools, i.e automake, autoconf.

16. 
    achow101 commented at 4:51 pm on March 23, 2022: member

    ACK 061accfddd2d27ad584c826413c68857d2be9ced
17. prusnak approved
18. 
    prusnak commented at 4:51 pm on March 23, 2022: contributor

    ACK 061accfddd2d27ad584c826413c68857d2be9ced
19. iJynx approved
20. fanquake merged this on Mar 24, 2022
21. fanquake closed this on Mar 24, 2022

    ---

22. fanquake deleted the branch on Mar 24, 2022
23. sidhujag referenced this in commit 0fb1adee31 on Apr 2, 2022
24. DrahtBot locked this on Mar 24, 2023

Contributors
fanquake hebasto prusnak MarcoFalke achow101 iJynx

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Build system