overriding libtool's pic_flag (was: make -s, how to make it quiet?)

[Ralf Wildenhues]

[ adding libtool@ in the loop; replies can remove autoconf@ ]

* Joakim Tjernlund wrote on Sat, Sep 13, 2008 at 10:37:37AM CEST:
> 
> BTW, earlier libtool did have any way of replacing -fPIC with -fpic. I
> remember I asked for this long time ago. Is it possible now? I know
> -fpic isn't recommended but when you have complete control over you
> system(think emebedded) it isn't a problem.

As of current libtool, I don't know of any way except changing the
setting(s) (one per compile language) in the generated libtool flag
after config.status has run.  Inside the configure script, you could
probably override one of the lt_prog_compiler_pic* variables after
AC_PROG_LIBTOOL, but that feel *very* hackish, and probably isn't
too nice for your users.

By the way, you should set it to '-fPIC -DPIC' if you do.

I'm wondering whether libtool should rename the variables to be
lt_cv_prog_compiler_pic (plus _CXX, etc. for the other languages)
and change the algorithm so that they may be overridden from the
command line/config.cache/config.site.  It would make sense, as we
have a cache variable for lt_cv_prog_compiler_pic_works*, too.

Downside: breaks backward compatibility for packages that expected
the names lt_prog_compiler_pic* (but we could still set those to the
same value).

Thoughts on this?  Have I forgotten any up- or downsides of this?

Thanks,
Ralf