Hi, On Mon, 12 Sept 2022 at 09:02, Enrico Zini <enr...@enricozini.org> wrote: > > Hello, > > GEOS upstream[1] explicitly offers a C++ API, with no API stability > across different versions, and a C API, as a stable wrapper to the C++ > API with API and API stability guarantees. > > The Debian libgeos++-dev package has intentionally stopped[2] shipping > some include files that are needed to build programs with the C++ API, > stating: > > > The files are explicitly removed because the C++ API should not be used > > by others. > > > > Having to rebuild rdeps for every upstream release is unacceptable. > > This[3] is the corresponding issue in Ubuntu. > > I do understand that Debian is not a good match for a C++ library that > does not make API and ABI stability guarantees, but the current solution > declares that the package exists but breaks builds, not just of Debian > packages using it, but also of software not shipped in Debian[4]. > > I wonder if there can be a better way of stating lack of support for > packages in Debian built using the C++ API, than the current situation > of shipping a broken package. Even now having libgeos++-dev in Debian, > shipping only the C API, would be better than a broken version. > > Ideas for alternative approaches, that would still honor the desire of > the maintainer of not having to deal with the ripple effects of API/ABI > changes?
There is no other option I know of. In this case not shipping the C++ headers is the right thing to do, in my point of view.
