LINTIAN

# `development-package-ships-elf-binary-in-path`

This development package (ie. from the `libdevel` section of the archive) installs an ELF binary within `$PATH`.

Commonly, executables in development packages provide values that are relevant for using the library. Source packages that use such development packages tend to execute those executables to discover how to use the library.

When performing a cross build, host architecture binaries are generally not executable. However, development packages need to be installed on the host architecture so such files are useless.

An alternative approach is to use `pkg-config(1)` or potentially splitting architecture-independent development tools into a separate package that can be marked `Multi-Arch: foreign`.

Severity: | `info`
Experimental: | `true`

## See also

- Bug#794295

- Bug#794103

- list of all the affected packages
- the source of this tag