title: How do I tell ld to ignore a missing library?
body: <p>I'd like to define a Makefile with implicit rules for a bunch of executables, some of which require linking against a custom-built library (let's call it <code>libedich.a</code>).</p>
  
  <p>My problem is that I'd like to be able to build those executables that do not require <code>libedich.a</code> when the latter hasn't been built yet. If I simply add <code>-ledich</code> to the <code>LDLIBS</code> variable, I get errors when <code>libedich.a</code> doesn't exist:</p>
  
  <pre><code>/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -ledich
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><strong>How do I tell ld that it's okay to continue linking when a given library doesn't exist?</strong></p>