libX11.la no longer in mac os X distribution: Workaround?

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libX11.la no longer in mac os X distribution: Workaround?

Hi there,

I use some mission critical apps, that regularly need to link with libX11.la. In particular the NEURON neural network simulation environment (v 7.0).

These apps have been broken since I installed Snow Leopard (i'm on 10.6.2) because this library is no longer there.

What is the proper workaround for this? I have tried installing xorg-libX11 under mac ports, but this breaks:

ld: warning: in /opt/local/lib/libXau.dylib, file is not of required architecture
Undefined symbols:
"_XauGetBestAuthByAddr", referenced from:
__X11TransConnectDisplay in ConnDis.o
"_XauDisposeAuth", referenced from:
__X11TransConnectDisplay in ConnDis.o
ld: symbol(s) not found
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make[3]: * http://libX11.la Error 1
make[2]: * all-recursive Error 1
make[1]: * all Error 2
make: * all-recursive Error 1

Error: Status 1 encountered during processing.

So what can I do?

It looks like mac-ports is in some kind of dependancy non-resolution **** (a la linux!). I have done all the obvious things like 'port selfupdate' etc. but no luck so far.

All the best

Guy

Macbook Pro

Posted on Dec 1, 2009 2:43 AM

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Answer 1

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

Dec 1, 2009 2:58 AM in response to GBlnd

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Answer 2

GBlnd Author

Level 1

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Dec 1, 2009 2:59 AM in response to macjack

Um... not really.

I would rather not have to compile X11 myself! Surely there is an easier way. That is the whole point of using a mac rather than linux right? I stopped using linux precisely because I was having to recompile various parts of the operating system every time I broke wind.

Thanks for the suggestions though.

G

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Answer 3

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,857 points

Dec 1, 2009 3:10 AM in response to GBlnd

Why do you need the static library libX11.la?

The .dylib version of libX11 is installed as part of the optional X11 install.

If you don't have Applications->Utilities->X11, you may need to install X11 from your Snow Leopard installation disc.

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Answer 4

GBlnd Author

Level 1

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Dec 1, 2009 3:21 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

Thanks for your post.

I have installed X11 from the SL install disc, and indeed the X11 .dylib file are there:

guy-billingss-macbook-pro:~ guybillings$ ls /usr/X11/lib/ X11.dylib
/usr/X11/lib/libX11.6.2.0.dylib /usr/X11/lib/libX11.6.dylib /usr/X11/lib/libX11.dylib

I need the static library because NEURON needs to link against it *at compile time* and it typically has to recompile snippets of code before each simulation. Yes its perhaps an anachronistic way of doing things, but that is how the application works and I have to use it so there is not much I can do about that.

Cheers

G

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Answer 5

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,857 points

Dec 1, 2009 3:14 PM in response to GBlnd

I just find that surprising as there are many operating systems that support X, such as OpenSolaris, that no longer support static linking of libraries at all.

Linking against a dynamic library should work for whatever it is they're doing as the only difference is whether the code is included in the base executable or whether it's loaded on demand at execution time; that's what seems a bit strange.

I wonder if Neuron can't be modified to simply point to the dynamic libraries instead.

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