Re: proposal to fork the build-tools projects

[Soren A]

Pavel Roskin <address@hidden> wrote in 
news:address@hidden:


> Maybe I'm missing something

IMHO, yes.

> but portable code is easier to maintain. It's a simpler programming
> language.  If somebody heavily uses GNU Make features, I would have to
> learn them to fix the makefile. 

I don't think the Autoconf definition of portable code is easy to
maintain. And as for GNU make, i resent it that i cannot use the full
power of GNU make when i write Autotools-based build configurations. You
may not know GNU make but I do, and my difficulty is that the present
approach requires *me* to figure out what the lowest-common-denominator
of retarded or brain-dead 'make' tools is and limit my Makefile
constructs to that (<poster spits on the floor in disgust>). 

GNU make is *one* program, very widely-ported (available to run on many
many platforms) whereas the present Autoconf / Automake scenario
requires knowledge and possession of at least a dozen small and large
tools, with the minimal set including sed, and echo, and grep, and so
on. 

As for the concept that the 'simpler programming language' is easier to
use / maintain, there's a reason why a simple language isn't the only
kind of language around. That's *power*. I find it very tiresome and
effort-ful to write build configurations for Autotools in the same way
that i find enduring a traffic jam on a modern Interstate highway
stressful and tiring.  The highway and vehicle AND my personal schedule
are all adjusted to accomplishing forward movement in space at a
velocity of say 65mph, but i am being constrained to speeds of 30mph
with need for constant braking to avoid collision. That's what using
Autotools is like for me. Nothing easy or "maintainable" about it. 

Back to GNU make: I have often thought that simply requiring people who
want to build Free / Open Source packages to simply use GNU make would
be a far more sane policy in the long run that what has developed. 

   Best regards,
      Soren A

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