Re: [boost] Release Tools Analysis Part I: Build systems

From: Stefan Seefeld (seefeld_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-08-06 06:32:46

Ames, Andreas (Andreas) wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] 
>> [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of David Abrahams
>> Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2007 6:13 PM
>> Subject: Re: [boost] Release Tools Analysis Part I: Build systems
>>
>> Well, with a great deal of due respect to Steven, he's wrong.  Sure it
>> /can/ be done in pure python, but /should/ it be?  Before we had
>> insane C++ template metaprograms, the cost of preprocessing and lexing
>> typically swamped that of any other C/C++ compilation phase, just
>> because they had to deal with more data (individual characters).  And
>> now we have insane preprocessor metaprograms, so things have not
>> gotten any easier on the C/C++ preprocessor.
> 
> I don't think, the maintainers position does matter here.  Scons has
> an interface (a so called 'scanner' interface) to add tools of your 
> choice for generating the implicit dependenies.

That's not quite correct. That interface you are talking about isn't quite
enough to let you plug in external scanners, since a real preprocessor such
as boost.wave would need to interact with other tools to fetch preprocessor flags
such as include search paths, predefined macros, and the like, without which
it would fall over rather quickly.

FWIW,
                Stefan

-- 
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