Re: Detecting readline in configure

Peter Eisentraut <peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net> writes:
> I think we should add a --with-readline option to configure, and make
> configure die with an error if the option is used and no readline is
> found. If the option is not used, readline would still be used if found.

This would not help, unless the user was clueful enough to invoke the
option, which would likely not be true. (AFAICT, the majority of these
complaints come from people who don't even know what libreadline is,
let alone that they have no or only a partial install of it.)

An effective but rather fascist approach would be to make the option be
--without-readline, ie, the *default* behavior of configure is to fail
unless a usable readline is found. I do not think I like that, since
readline does not qualify as a critical component IMHO. (And, given
the GPL-vs-every-other-license political agenda of the readline crowd,
I don't want them to think we think that either ;-))

I suggest that the behavior of configure not be changed, but that it be
tweaked to put out a slightly more obvious notice about not being able
to find readline support. Maybe

checking for libreadline ... no
checking for libedit ... no
*
* NOTICE: I couldn't find libreadline nor libedit. You will
* not have history support in psql.
*

regards, tom lane