[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH 2/3] build: rely on pkg-config for libx264 probing

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Clément Bœsch <u <at> pkh.me> writes:

> > > +enabled libx264           && require_pkg_config 
> > > "x264 >= 0.118" "stdint.h x264.h" x264_encoder_encode
> > 
> > Since this needlessly breaks scripts, I am against this.
> > 
> 
> It's not needlessly since it fixes builds when libx264 is 
> built against external libs to the least, without a hack 
> of trying to guess what library could be needed. It 
> simplifies the creation of static builds.

This sounds as if these were two different issues, 
do I misunderstand?

I agree that there theoretically could be an issue for 
a user, I sent a patch to solve this.
(I do not remember a report.)

> And also it simplifies specifying a custom x264 build.

It definitely doesn't simplify things, I honestly wonder 
if everybody on this list knows how to use the future 
variant, while I consider the current solution very 
user-friendly.

> It indeed might break some scripts that used to 
> workaround the previous issues with --extra-{c,ld}flags. 
> But that's the reason we are documenting the change, and 
> also displays a very obvious error in case it fails.

But your patch doesn't tell a user how he can actually 
fix compilation. And this is exactly the problem:
Currently, FFmpeg compilation with libx264 works for 
everyone: For you, because you know both the incantations 
for pkg-config and FFmpeg configure, and for the users 
because they only know the (simple) FFmpeg configure 
syntax.

This is my main concern, and this is why this patch 
shouldn't get committed.

My other concern is more personal: I hate to install, 
and particularly if it is not necessary.
I would expect that this would also hit a few users, 
possibly less than the pkg-config issue.

Carl Eugen