[boost] Re: Installing Boost Libraries

From: Raja R Harinath (harinath_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-02-29 01:20:01

jorg.schaible_at_[hidden] writes:
> >The standard operating procedure for users of GNU-style tarballs is:
> >
> > 1. Unarchive the tarball and change to the directory.
> > 2. ./configure
> > 3. make
> > 4. make install
> >
> >> Let me try it for Win32 platforms.  If that works OK, I will put a
> >> .zip file in the vault, and people can then try to add directories
> >> with scripts for other platforms.
> >
> >Just in case I wasn't clear before, automake needs to invade the source
> >tree. The primary consequence of that the build system's Makefile.in's
> >end up in the source tree, as do the Makefiles. (Though the latter aren't
> >generated until configure time, when the user is preparing to build the
> >binaries.)
> >
> >I'll wait until I have your zip file and a clear picture of the directory
> >structure therein to comment further. I don't know of any particular
> >strucure that would pose a problem for automake (it's pretty flexible),
> >the only issue is that it needs to invade it.
> 
> Why not insist for Windows on a Cygwin installation? Then we'll have an
> environment, that supports the procedure described above in the same way for
> Windows as for Unix. I've built meanwhile enough Unix tools successfully for
> Windows that were prepared for Cygwin. This would minimize the maintenance
> effort and the boost may just provide a link to Cygwin to get an
> installation of the tools.

One problem with the "config.hpp generated by configure.in" approach
is that the installation is tailored to one compiler -- the compiler
used to configure the package.  It usually isn't a problem in the C
world, but it definitely is a problem in the C++ world.  Many people
often have multiple, incompatible, C++ compilers.  So, for example, if
you configure with Cygwin using GNU C++, you may not be able to use
MSVC on the same install, and vice versa.

You can use --exec-prefix and custom include paths to handle this --
but this requires a whole lot of sophistication, planning, and
maintenance than a simple ./configure; make; make install.

- Hari
-- 
Raja R Harinath ------------------------------ harinath_at_[hidden]
"When all else fails, read the instructions."      -- Cahn's Axiom
"Our policy is, when in doubt, do the right thing."   -- Roy L Ash