Contributing to autoconf, automake, etc...

[Ben Bergen]

Hi,

I am working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on a project
involving the IBM Cell processor.  Building for the cell requires
several compilation steps with different compilers.  I would like to
add to the languages supported by autotools so that there is a simple
way to define and build programs for the cell.  As I only have
experience in using autoconf, automake, etc..., I'm not sure how to
add support for this platform.  From looking at the automake script,
it appears to be possible to add new languages.  However, when I try
to register a new language, i.e., ppuc (with compile variable PPUCC),
I get an error saying that the variable is not defined.  I mention
this to demonstrate my naivety with developing autotools.  So, my
question is:  Is anyone willing/able to help me get started with this,
and is this something that other people have interest in?  I believe
that processors like the cell will play a role in software development
in the future, so it is worth developing tools to handle building on
heterogeneous computing platforms.

Ben

--
  Benjamin Karl Bergen
  CCS-2 Continuum Dynamics
  Los Alamos National Laboratory