Treating static library as convenience library + other errors

[kmescher]

I'm having a problem with libtool linking in static libaries:

Let's assume my libtool link line has this:

... -Lsomedir -lfoo -Lsomeotherdir -lbar ...

In this case, libfoo.a exists, and there is no libfoo.la (non-libtool library)

-lbar does have libbar.la.

The libbar.la file contains a run path, so I think that designates it as a 
non-convenience library.  (like it says in the manual)

When it starts to link, it extracts the objects from the convenience libaries.
 
I'm not quite sure why it doesn't just link in the convenience libraries (If 
someone can tell my why, please).

There are a few problems:

1. Even though libbar.la is a libtool archive, it is installed, and has a run 
path.  But libtool still treats it like a convenience library (extracts all 
the objects).  This takes a fair amount of time to do (lots of objects in 
libbar), and causes the next two problems to manifest themselves.

2. Libtool assumes that the GNU archiver is being used.  There are options 
that are only present with the GNU archiver.  This is not the case on many 
non-GNU systems.  Luckily, the system I'm using does have the GNU archiver 
(gar), so I can use it.  Relying on the GNU archiver is very non-portable.  
This problem appears on Compaq Tru64 5.1 and Solaris 8.

3. The same sections of code use a invocation of uniq like this: uniq -cd
That particular invocation is non-portable (doesn't work on Solaris), since 
the c and d options are mutually exclusive.  Removing the d option allows 
libtool to work correctly.  This appears on Solaris 8.