[Caml-list] META file standards for native plugins

["François Bobot" <francois.bobot@cea.fr>]

Hi,

	Another topic which need a standard is native dynamic plugins. In fact there is a defacto standard 
(used by some libraries and tools, but not specified in ocamlfind documentation) but it is a bad one.

   archive(plugin,native) = "toto.cmxs"

It is a bad one because the semantic of META file says that the value of `archive(native)` can be 
return when you ask the value of `archive` with the predicate `plugin` and the predicate `native` true.

I discussed it with some people and the current proposition where

   * archive(plugin_native)
   * archive(plugin)
   * archive(shared)


I personally prefer the `shared` predicate because it corresponds to the `-shared` option of 
ocamlopt that creates `.cmxs`.

  The predicate `shared` would be added to ocamlfind documentation. The prospective `ocamlfind check 
META` could recommend to add an `archive(shared)` if the `archive(native)` exists. For a transition 
period `archive(plugin,native)` and `archive(shared)` would be both present in the META.


Thoughts or suggestions?


Best regards,

-- 
François Bobot