Re: [task #6990] Avoid copying source files from other projects

[Marcus Brinkmann]

At Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:20:17 +0000,
Thomas Schwinge <INVALID.NOREPLY@gnu.org> wrote:
> I just discovered that `[Hurd]/exec/' contains a number of source files that
> have -- at the time they've been installed (1998 resp. 1994) -- been
> verbatimly copied from the bzip2 and gzip (?) packages, but haven't been
> updated ever since.
> 
> I suggest this to be revamped and instead use and link against libbz2 and
> libz.

It's quite customary to source-copy gzip decoding instead of linking
to a library, at least in some areas (for example, in gnupg this is
also done).  Yes, this hides bugs, but it avoids a build time
dependency and is more robust/secure (in fact, exec itself is
statically linked anyway).

I am not saying linking against external libz should never be done,
but in the case of exec I think the arguments sway towards source
copying.

Thanks,
Marcus