Re: problems updating math/py-rpy package

["Ian D. Leroux" <idleroux%fastmail.fm@localhost>]

On Wed, 29 Apr 2015 22:16:19 -0600 Brook Milligan <brook%nmsu.edu@localhost>
wrote:
> On Apr 29, 2015, at 1:02 AM, Jonathan Perkin wrote:
> > Buildlink must be used when a package provides headers and libraries
> > to be used by other packages.  DEPENDS for everything else.
> 
> That seems reasonably straightforward; however, what are things like
> python packages that are libraries of files relied upon by other
> packages?  Or does "headers and libraries" only apply in the sense of
> compiled, for example, C code?

I think an alternative formulation might be "Buildlink for things which
must be visible/available at package compilation/building time, DEPENDS
for things which need be there only at runtime".  So if a configure
script is going to check for the presence of those python files, then
it becomes the moral equivalent of a C header, but if the files will
only be called when the software runs, then it's safe for DEPENDS.

Remeber, Buildlink fakes the environment at compile-time, so that only
packages pulled in with .../buildlink3.mk will be visible.

--
IDL