[Python-Dev] zlib not compiled by default

[Guido van Rossum]

> On Wed, Jul 12, 2000 at 07:52:05AM +0100, Andy Robinson wrote:
> >...
> > Are there many other applications which
> > use compression?  If so, would it do 
> > be feasible to include it by default
> > from version 1.6?
> 
> I believe the correct approach would be to have ./configure look for zlib.
> If present, then it should include the module into the build.
> [ this auto-build style could apply to many modules, actually ]
> 
> There would need to be a way to override this auto-build of a module.
> 
> >...
> > p.s. I can submit a patch if needed :-)
> 
> This would be great. I'd recommend a patch against configure.in and
> associated files. (Modules/Setup.* ?)

Greg subtly points out the difficulty with your proposal: this
requires an external library that may not be available.  In the past
we've had enough complaints from people who failed to realize that if
the build failed because of a missing external library, they could
just disable the module that needs it.  So I'm not for simply having
it enabled in Setup.in by default.

I would love to have a mechanism (run by configure or maybe better by
makesetup) that automatically determines if a particular external
library package is available.  Come to think of it, in first
approximation, makesetup could easily parse the -I, -L and -l options
you specify for a particular extension and only build it if it can
find all those...

But it's a bit of work!

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://dinsdale.python.org/~guido/)