Re: Request for $DESTDIR support in Makefile

> On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 6:45 PM, tom fogal<tfogal@...> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Anders Juel Jensen <andersjjensen@...> writes:
> >>  It would make life a lot easier for both packagers and testers if
> >> the autotools based build system could be made to support DESTDIR,
> >> like most other autotools based packages does.
> >
> > This is the wrong forum/time to ask this question, but I've noted
> > similar support mentioned in other contexts here and again and never
> > understood the point.
> >
> > It seems to me like "./configure --prefix=/tmp/my-new-mesa-package/usr
> > && make && make install" would have the same effect.  What does DESTDIR
> > accomplish that prefix does not?
>
> The package may be built differently depending on what the final
> destination (controlled by --prefix) is. Among other things:
>
> - paths entered in data such as the pkg-config .pc files will be wrong
> - you may get an incorrect rpath encoded into the binaries (usually
> only happens with libtool)
> - the build may make different decisions if you are installing to a
> system directory (/usr) vs. a temporary path
>
> --
> Dan