Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance.

From	Nux Vomica <nv@linux.rocks>
Subject	Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance.
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.os.linux.misc
Followup-To	comp.os.linux.advocacy
Message-Id	<pan$be9fc$809aad21$e409cc51$526fec52@linux.rocks>
Date	2025-06-24 17:52 +0000
Organization	UsenetExpress - www.usenetexpress.com

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

Followups directed to: comp.os.linux.advocacy

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I build my own system from scratch, both the kernel and all
software packages.  If automation is employed the process is
painless and quick -- even easier than installing a distro.

But there is a growing problem.

When I first started using GNU/Linux all software packages
were configured and built using GNU Autotools.  The Autotools
process, for the builder at least, is fantastically simple
and very easy to automate.

However, for the programmer, creating the necessary configure
scripts for Autotools can be a severe headache.

Thus, other build systems were created and more and more software
packages are moving to them.  On contemporary GNU/Linux, the most
commonly used alternate build systems are:

Cmake

Meson (using Ninja as backend)

So what's the problem?

The difficulty is that now the software builder has to learn
several different systems and things are no longer as simple
as they once were with Autotools.  Compared to Autotools, these
alternative build systems are decidedly more complex for the
builder even if they might make things easier for the programmer.

I am always in favor of choice.  In fact, choice is one of the
great strengths of GNU/Linux.  Yet when it comes to software
building from source I feel that only a single protocol is
necessary.

It is definitely a conundrum.

What are your thoughts (if you have any at all)?

 

-- 
Systemd: solving all the problems that you never knew you had.

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Thread

Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. Nux Vomica <nv@linux.rocks> - 2025-06-24 17:52 +0000
  Re: Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-06-25 09:06 +1000
    Re: Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-06-24 23:48 +0000
    Re: Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. Nux Vomica <nv@linux.rocks> - 2025-06-29 13:28 +0000
      Re: Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-06-30 09:13 +1000
        Re: Software Building Status. A Growing Annoyance. Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-06-29 23:50 +0000

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