HP-UX porting and archive ctr, - do I really need all the run-time and build time dependencies?

[John Kittel]

I recently tentatively decided that I want curl from the HP-UX porting and archive center, for use in a project we're doing. (If anyone is inclined to see how I got to that conclusion see thread http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=298207 )

Now I've had a closer look at curl, and I'm wondering if I really want it after all. The sheer number of dependencies seems rather prohibitive in itself, but in addition to that, in my admittedly limited experience they never go in right on the first or second try but always require a good deal of unanticipated messing around.

curl says it needs runtime openssl. openssl says it needs build time gcc, perl 5.8, make, and runtime gettext, libiconv. gcc says it needs buildtime bison, flex, texinfo, m4, gawk, gettext, autoconf. Perl needs db.

So far, that's 14 packages I would need to install in order to run curl, and at that point I stopped looking. Have I gone off the deep end, or if I want to run curl do I really need to install all that?

Thanks,
John

[Michael Tully · Accepted solution]

Part of the problem is that software from the porting centre is not actually HP's software. It is a free site that provides these items for use. As an example, you can get GCC, yes it includes dependencies, but guess what it is free. If you wish to pay for a ANSI/C compiler, well you get the whole lot in one distribution and buy it. In saying that a lot of these packages the source code can be provided and as such some developers use what is there already and build upon it. I guess it comes down to you get what you pay for unfortunately.

[Steven E. Protter]

My experience says yes you do.

Every time I have trouble with porting center software, its because I blew off checkin dependencies or suid needed to be done on the final executable.

SEP

[A. Clay Stephenson]

In a word, yes UNLESS you are willing to download the source and compile/link on your own. In that case, you are able to use yacc rather than bison, lex rather than flex, awk instead of gawk, and so on.

[Pete Randall]

Do you really need them?

Only if you want the package to work. If you just want to downlaod and install an unworkable package, there's no need at all.


Pete

[John Kittel]

Thanks everyone for your answers. And also thanks especially for not beating me up hardly at all on what was obviously a dumb question.

After submitting my question I began to worry that this thread might make it into one of those other threads where dumb questions with snappy put down responses are reviewed and highlighted for everyone's enjoyment ( don't get any ideas now please).

I guess I was hoping someone might come up with a magical alternative for me... you never know unless you ask.

- John

[Pete Randall]

John,

I wish it were so, but there's very little magic in this kind of work.

Good luck to you!


Pete