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Re: [OT] Bashing on autotools

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Markus Wichmann <nullplan@gmx.net> writes:

> On 08.01.2012 10:15, Dr Nick wrote:
>> ec429 <ec429@cam.ac.uk> writes:
>>> Or you can write POSIX-compliant code, refuse to support
>>> non-POSIX-compliant platforms, and chuck Autoconf in /dev/dustbin
>>> where it belongs.
>> 
>> Even then you need to do some of the things that Autoconf does - for
>> example when different versions of libraries have a different interface.
>> 
>
> How about you build anyway and don't try to outsmart the administrator?
> If the library really has the wrong version, the build will fail. (If
> you just implement for one interface. If you implement for both you are
> doing double shift for nothing!)
>
> Just be nice and write it in your documentation somewhere!

At one time I had something running on two machines, neither of which I
had full control of, one of which was running the newer (at the time)
version of Berkley DB which took an additional parameter to many of the
functions.

For the purposes I was using it, that extra parameter could happily be
NULL, but it needed to be there.

The code could easily be adapted to run fine under either version, but
needed a small bit of conditional compilation to make it work under
both.

>>> Besides, even if you believe Autoconf's use case is valid, Autoconf is
>>> not a well-designed solution to that problem; simply put, it's hairy.
>> 
>> Agreed.  But it's something that is likely to be there and that can do
>> what you need doing (along with a lot of stuff you don't and never
>> will).
>
> Yeah, that's the problem with FSF software: Featuritis. The program does
> what you want, and a ton of extra stuff.
>
> What's wrong with small posix compliant scripts in the build system,
> called by Makefiles?

Nothing. But you have to write them and this can be more work than
autoconf (just!).

The question of when do I do it myself and when do I pull something
bigger in and only use a bit of it isn't that clear cut.  You can see
just the same sort of thing with Javascript these days: do I hand-code
each little bit I need or do I pull something like JQuery in?

Because, obviously, the problem is that you end up hand coding so many
little bits that it would have been easier to use someone else's, much
bigger, solution in the first place.

We're miles off C now, and not really that far apart I don't think.
-- 
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Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory ArifulHossain tuhin <etothepowerpi@gmail.com> - 2012-01-07 03:26 -0800
  Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory ec429 <ec429@cam.ac.uk> - 2012-01-07 14:15 +0000
    Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2012-01-07 16:26 +0000
    Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory jt@toerring.de (Jens Thoms Toerring) - 2012-01-07 17:40 +0000
  Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-01-07 17:50 +0000
    Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2012-01-07 21:24 +0000
      [OT] Bashing on autotools (Was: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory) ec429 <ec429@cam.ac.uk> - 2012-01-08 05:19 +0000
        Re: [OT] Bashing on autotools (Was: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory) Dr Nick <3-nospam@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2012-01-08 09:15 +0000
          Re: [OT] Bashing on autotools Markus Wichmann <nullplan@gmx.net> - 2012-01-08 23:09 +0100
            Re: [OT] Bashing on autotools Dr Nick <3-nospam@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2012-01-09 07:53 +0000
            Re: [OT] Bashing on autotools Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2012-01-09 19:21 +0000
    Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory falk@rahul.net (Edward A. Falk) - 2012-01-08 07:13 +0000
    Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory ArifulHossain tuhin <etothepowerpi@gmail.com> - 2012-01-09 02:12 -0800
      Re: Building a sample application with libraries located in nonstandard directory Markus Wichmann <nullplan@gmx.net> - 2012-01-09 15:00 +0100

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