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There are many kinds of dependencies. If X needs Y to compile I would expect the dependencies to be specified in the code. If X needs one of (Y1, Y2, ...) to r

by ajuc 9y ago

There are many kinds of dependencies. If X needs Y to compile I would expect the dependencies to be specified in the code. If X needs one of (Y1, Y2, ...) to run - I could understand some kind of external configuration. It's especially useful for frameworks and game engines. Kinda strange to edit sourcecode of tomcat or unreal engine to configure it to use particular regexp implementation.

qznc 9y ago
Another aspect is when the linking happens.When building the application? When running the application (plugins)? You mention "to compile" and "to run", but that is an orthogonal design dimension. So, currently we have four ways to resolve dependencies: 1. Specific at compile time (import in source file via compiler) 2. Unspecific at compile time (via build system) 3. Specific at run time (shared library via OS) 4. Unspecific at compile time (via plugin system)