Re: [HACKERS] Shared libs with version numbers.

darrenk@insightdist.com (Darren King) writes:

> Is there any purpose to the version numbers that some ports append
> to a shared lib name, besides keeping different versions around?

Well, no.  That _is_ the point.  Sort of.  Version numbers make it
possible to have different generations of shared libraries installed,
and have different binaries use different ones.  You can then install
a new version of the library -- and nothing will use it.  Once you
recompile some binary, though, it will henceforth dynamically link
against the new one, i.e. the one that it was built for.  This is, of
course, important because it allows the interface to change when the
version changes, without forcing you to recompile _everything_.

-tih
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