[boost] Re: Customer Friendlier Boost Installation

From: Hendrik Schober (SpamTrap_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-25 08:46:25

Caleb Epstein <caleb.epstein_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> [...]
> I really think the Getting Started guide is more than adequate, and is
> concise and easy to follow.  There are gigantic yellow numbers next to
> the important steps.  [...] really how much more hand-holding
> does one need?

  OK, so I went to the that guide, downloaded boost
  1.32, downloaded bjam.exe, unzipped everything,
  and typed, IMHO according to the guide,
    C:\Temp\Download\boost\boost_1_32_0>..\bjam.exe bjam "-sTOOLS=VC71_ROOT" stage
  After quite a pause ("what's it doing now?") it
  spit out a lengthy messagethat that I have an
  incorrect configuration. It couldn't find Python.
  Mhmm. Do I need this? Will it even work without
  Python? (I know it will. But not from the guide.)
  Next thing it emits is
    don't know how to make bjam
  Yikes! What does that mean? It surely doesn't mean
  it wants to compile/link bjam as I am /running/ it
  already, right? Scary.
  Right after that, it emitted
    don't know how to make -sTOOLS=VC71_ROOT
  Now I am really really baffled. I mean, I pasted
  that line from the guide (except for replacing
  "gcc" with what I thought the guide says I need
  to replace it with). Doesn't that thing even
  recognise its options?
  Finally, it advices
    ...patience...
  Oh good. So I'll wait. Further:
    ...found 4471 targets...
    ...updating 1123 targets...
    ...can't find 2 targets...
  Um, what are targets? Why does it only "update"
  a quarter of them? Why wouldn't it find 2 of them?
  I read the guide again. Damn! I messed this up! I
  need to pass "vc", not "VC71_ROOT"! The guid is a
  bit terse in that area...
  CTRL-C
    C:\Temp\Download\boost\boost_1_32_0>..\bjam.exe bjam "-sTOOLS=vc" stage
  Alas, same result. Excep that now it
    don't know how to make -sTOOLS=vc
  Huh?
  Well, it says I should be patient, so I just let
  it do whatever it does.
  There really are a few libs in "bin" at the end.
  And the thing says
    ...updated 1120 targets...
  Mhmm. Three missing. It might have even emitted an
  error message. No way I'm going to wade through
  3-4k lines of messages to find those three.
  Now I would need to link to this stuff. But where
  exactly do I need to point my linker at? The guide
  has something on automatic linking on Windows, but
  I can't find where in the folder hierarchy this
  assumes I'm anchored.
  Still long ways to go before I can start to work.
  Add to this that, as with all new stuff, I will
  still stumble more later while using this, that I
  would have to write a usage guide for my fellows
  if I want to use this (hey, some of them aren't as
  good reading English, they will never be able to
  follow this guide!), and that we need to figure
  this out for another handful of platforms -- and I
  start to think if it really is worth all the hassle.

  Conclusion: I have seen smoother installations on
  Windows, I have installed easier to build libs, and
  I have seen guides that weren't written for mere
  insiders. I'm no command-line afficinado, I can
  barely read makefiles, and I am used to having a
  GUI and online-help for every option.
  Call me dumb, but I am one of millions of potential
  boost users.
  We use boost since years ago, when I threw out all
  home-grown smart pointers and replaced them by
  boost's. So we /know/ boost is worth quite a lot
  of hassle and we even use one library that's not
  headers-only. (However, this one -- regex -- comes
  with a makefile and this we knew how to integrate
  into the build.)
  But if this was my first look at boost, I'd delete
  it right away. Seriously, on this platform are
  millions of C++ users that only heard very vague
  rumours of C++ being standardized -- if they heard
  about it at all. Those don't see much benefit it
  smart pointers, consider the MPL to be black art,
  and can't be bothered if it isn't really easy to
  use.

  Schobi

-- 
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I'm Schobi at suespammers dot org
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