Re: About installation

From: bill_kempf (williamkempf_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-02-25 11:02:55

--- In boost_at_y..., Daryle Walker <darylew_at_m...> wrote:
> I've seen a lot of messages about using autoconf or jam for 
installing
> Boost.  I wonder if these people are making the issue more 
complicated than
> it is.  Remember that some of us (like pre-X Mac users) use Boost 
without
> Jam, we just resolve the build issues manually.  It's not that 
hard, just:
> 
> 1.  Expand the Boost archive somewhere
> 2.  Have your makefile or project file point to the BOOST_ROOT/boost
> directory as part of its search for (system) header files.
> 3.  For mandatory source files, add those individually to your 
project file
> or makefile.
> 4.  There is no step 4....
> 
> I don't think there are any mandatory source files that must be put 
in a
> separate (static or dynamic) library first.  I'm not entirely sure 
of this,
> as the Boost.Threads people always talk about a DLL.

On Windows platforms Boost.Threads *requires* (I wish it didn't) 
special care when building.  Specifically, the threadmon stuff must 
be in a DLL.  So your simple 4 step process above won't work there.  
I also expect that this sort of thing will continue to get more and 
more complicated as we add more and more libraries that depend on OS 
specific things.

> The process could be improved.  I think step [3] is the biggest 
pain, as you
> need to figure out which mandatory source files are needed (if any) 
and
> where they are.  Those files are currently scattered.  I think that 
a single
> "boost_src" directory for mandatory source files, paralleling 
the "boost"
> directory for headers, could be better for installation purposes.  
It gives
> users only one extra directory to worry about.  (We've talked about 
this
> idea before.)

Unfortunately, this isn't going to work (see the above about 
Boost.Threads).
 
Bill Kempf