Re: [boost] New getting started guide

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-11-30 12:58:15

Daryle Walker <darylew_at_[hidden]> writes:

> On 11/25/06 5:47 PM, "David Abrahams" <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
>> Daryle Walker <darylew_at_[hidden]> writes:
>> 
>>> On 11/22/06 11:15 PM, "David Abrahams" <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>> 
>>>>> There should be a section on going without pre-made binaries.  This should
>>>>> mention the location of the mandatory source files
>>>>> ("$BOOST_ROOT/libs/*/src/*.cpp" for now) and that they can be arbitrarily
>>>>> incorporated as needed, except for the ones that have a "main"
>>>>> function.  
>>>> 
>>>> I don't believe that's true, though.  Certainly I wouldn't guarantee
>>>> it for Boost.Python; you'd have to know a lot of details about how to
>>>> configure the build.  I'm not going to make guarantees that users can
>>>> do something that they can't in fact do or anything that we don't test.
>>> 
>>> Should that be considered a bug?
>> 
>> Not unless we decide to support it, and nobody has made that decision.
>
> I don't think Boost, are any part of it, should _require_ an install
> procedure.  It should be possible for any user to just take the actual
> header and source files and use any build system s/he has.

Great, you can work towards establishing that as a supported method
for 1.35

>>> Maybe manual directions need to be added to the general and
>>> Boost.Python-specific getting-started pages.
>> 
>> I'm not ready to support that method, sorry.
>
> For the Python-specific directions or the general ones (or both)?  If just
> the Python-specific ones, the general page could have a note about the
> situation with Boost.Python.

Neither, because I can't stand behind them working.

> For Boost.Python, what does happen if the user has a setup incompatible with
> the given directions?  Give up?  Guess what to do?  Petition for help on our
> mailing lists?

Any of those could be appropriate.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com