[CMake] How to apply the --as-needed linker flag?

[Alan W. Irwin]

I just discovered that many Linux distros these days use the
--as-needed Linux linker option by default.  At first glance that
option makes a lot of sense since it tends to reduce startup times.
But I guess there are some caveats as well which is probably why CMake
does not adopt this linker option by default for Linux builds.
However, I would at least like to try this option for my own Linux
builds without forcing it using target_link_libraries. Is it possible
to specify linker options such as --as-needed using environment
variables and/or -D options?

Alan
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Alan W. Irwin

Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).

Programming affiliations with the FreeEOS equation-of-state implementation
for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); PLplot scientific plotting software
package (plplot.org); the libLASi project (unifont.org/lasi); the Loads of
Linux Links project (loll.sf.net); and the Linux Brochure Project
(lbproject.sf.net).
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Linux-powered Science
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