Excerpts from mail: 2-Sep-99 Re: misc/8271: Can't build .. Jaromir
Dolecek@ics.muni (669*)

> Andrew Cagney wrote:
> > The problem occures when building a non-native cross compilation / debug
> > environment.  It isn't possible to build a cross GDB from the NetBSD
> > sources on a non NetBSD host as readline was removed.

> Just a side note - the right thing to do would be to change gdb's
> build process to check for libedit, then for libreadline and only
> when it's not available resort to it's own copy. Thinking "we
> can't use system's own library because is could be buggy"
> is backwards, IMHO.

FYI. In general a given GDB release expects the readline it was bundled
with.  The reasons are several: bug fixes still being merged into the
official readline; added functionality not found in readline; known
stability, buildability, and behavour.

I don't know how easy it is to do the same with an arbitrary installed
library (libedit or libreadline).  At any time that library could be
several versions in front or behind what GDB expects.

> Anyway - the readline sources should be at the place they
> are for "original" gdb. I don't thing those ~400KB or so
> would matter so much.

src/gnu/dist/readline? Yes please :-)

	Andrew