Re: [ft] Re running make fails

[Werner LEMBERG]

>> Hmm, this looks like a non-FreeType problem.  Can you use `libz.a'
>> at all with other applications or programs?
> 
> I don't know. I have been compiling and installing things like zlib,
> libjpeg, libpng, and GNU make, I haven't seen and similar complaints
> I haven't seen any other error messages from software specific to
> `libz.a'.

By default, FreeType compiles both a static and dynamic library.  I
can imagine that you have installed zlib without shared libraries –
did you by chance called `./configure --static' for zlib?  This would
disable the creation of a shared library.  However, this is just a
wild guess, since BSD systems work differently compared to GNU/Linux
boxes, which I use.

Another possibility of problems is an incorrect setup of the dynamic
linker.  For example, it might completely miss the `/usr/local/lib'
directory for finding dynamic libraries.  On my GNU/Linux box, I can
control this with having a `/usr/local/lib' line in file
`/etc/ld.so.conf', together with the `ldconfig' program to set up a
location cache for the dynamic linker.

> What does "recompile with -fPIC" mean? Obviously, in trial, it is
> not an option to /usr/local/bin/make (unless the syntax is wrong)

It means that the compiler needs an additional option `-fPIC'.
Normally, such options can be specified by the user in the environment
variable `CFLAGS', e.g.

  make CFLAGS='-fPIC'

On the other hand, if you build zlib with shared libraries, such
details should be handled automatically...  Adding `-fPIC' is not an
option a *user* should have to specify normally!  It's the job of the
developer (or rather the build system, i.e., the `configure' script)
to set this up correctly.


    Werner