Re: use --enable-pic [libtool--gary--1.0--patch-32]

[Noah Misch]

On Tue, Aug 30, 2005 at 12:30:35PM +0100, Gary V. Vaughan wrote:
>       * libltdl/m4/options.m4 (_LT_WITH_PIC): Renamed...
>       (_LT_ENABLE_PIC): ...this.  Adjust all callers.  The configure
>       option is now `--enable-pic', since `--with-pic' implies that the
>       user wants to compile in an optional external package called pic.
>       * doc/libtool.texi: Update documentation to match.

`pic' is not an external package, but it is also not an optional feature.  In
particular, per Standards, `No `--enable' option should *ever* cause one feature
to replace another.'  --enable-pic effectively disables creation of the non-pic
`.a' library and creates a PIC `.a' library.

I suggest leaving things as they are or dropping the option entirely.  There has
been little mention of this option in the ChangeLog since 1999, when Thomas
Tanner added the feature.  The mail archives on lists.gnu.org do not go back
that far; what was the use case for this feature?  I cannot think of one.