Sharp: Separate repo for libvips build?

[teohhanhui]

i.e. What if I want to use the latest libvips?

[lovell]

Hello, did you see http://sharp.dimens.io/en/latest/install/#linux ?

To use your own version of libvips instead of the provided binaries, make sure it is at least the version listed under config.libvips in the package.json file, that it can be located using pkg-config --modversion vips-cpp.

[teohhanhui]

Yes, I know, and I'm talking about what's under the packaging directory...

[teohhanhui]

Since preinstall.sh is deprecated, perhaps we should provide instructions for how to use what's under packaging instead...

[lovell]

Thanks Teoh. I'm not quite sure I understand the problem you're trying to solve.

As you've probably seen, the packaging directory contains build scripts that compile libvips and its dependencies for the most common use cases on the most common platforms. This is all very much behind the scenes and not something that most people will ever need to look at.

Changes to these scripts usually involve a related change to binding.gyp and/or the tests hence everything lives in the same repo for ease of version control.

[teohhanhui]

The deprecated preinstall.sh had a role to play for those who want an easy way to build libvips. What I'm proposing is for easy-to-follow usage instructions to be written for the build setup under packaging, so that it can take the front and center role for those who need / want to build libvips on their own (for whatever reasons).

[teohhanhui]

In other words, replace any reference to preinstall.sh with packaging in the docs, with the appropriate instructions of course.

[lovell]

"so that it can take the front and center role for those who need / want to build libvips on their own"

For the benefit of all libvips' users, not just sharp users, I'd love to see this kind of thing live in libvips itself, perhaps as a community-maintained Wiki page, and would be very happy to direct people to it.

[lovell]

"What I'm proposing is for easy-to-follow usage instructions to be written for the build setup under packaging"

The packaging directory now has a README - https://github.com/lovell/sharp/tree/pencil/packaging

[lovell]

Docs now in master - https://github.com/lovell/sharp/tree/master/packaging - feel free to submit PRs to add/improve these, thanks for the original suggestion.