[MPlayer-users] Help w/ compiling source

[Rich Felker]

On Sun, Jan 20, 2008 at 10:43:33PM -0800, RC wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:06:36 -0500
> Richard Geddes <rich.geddes at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> > I assume that these packages assist ./configure to determine the code
> > to include for mplayer to use xorg.
> 
> It's not just a hint of sorts, headers are technical necessity.
> 
> I've always been dumbfounded by the fact that nearly all Linux distros*
> don't just include the headers with the package, as they are quite tiny,
> and terribly important if you EVER want to compile even a single
> program.  *Slackware Linux being the exception--ALL the BSDs include
> headers as well.

Not only that, but the *-dev packages include 99% useless crap like .a
files with debugging symbols, so that in order to have a working
system that can compile software, you end up with hundreds of
megabytes (or likely gigabytes...) of wasted space just to get the
tiny headers installed.

Rich