[boost] Re: Re: Customer Friendlier Boost Installation

From: Robert Mathews (rmathews_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-25 13:13:22

I've been following this thread for a bit.

I think that the boost community would do well to do the following:
- precompile boost for Windows compilers
- package up the headers and .libs in a MSI installation script (or some
other native windows installer)
- provide that for download

That way we sidestep the whole issue of using JAM. This has two benefits:
- Windows programmers expect to be able to click on a link and simply
download the answer.
- Windows programmers would get a reliable library that was built under
controlled circumstances. We'd all spend less time supporting folks who have
trouble driving the compiler via JAM, and/or who have somehow produced a
corrupt boost library.

In fact, we could even add a "create an installer script" target to the JAM
process in order to facilitate making and publishing the installation script
for us.

Personally, I did use JAM successfully, but I also encountered a number of
error messages that I quickly worked through, and didn't think much about.
It would have been a barrier to someone less experienced though, and we
don't want that.

Rob.