Re: [boost] Re: Customer Friendlier Boost Installation

From: Rob Stewart (stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-31 13:15:12

From: David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]>
> "Hendrik Schober" <SpamTrap_at_[hidden]> writes:
> > David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> >>
> >> What should it say?
> >
> >   "Parsing jam file"?
> >   Or better yet: "parsing build rules"?
> 
> Well, it's much more than parsing.  It's actually "evaluating" or
> "executing" them.  I think "executing" would be misleading, so maybe
> "evaluating" would be better.

"Determining what needs to be built"?

"Determining the work required to build Boost"?

> >>   So if that is insufficient to make it clear that the build will will
> >>   work even without Python, what do we need to do in order to make it
> >>   clear?
> >
> >   Maybe something along those lines:
> >   "Unable to find Python. Cannot build the Boost.Python
> >   lib. If you want to use Boost.Python, look at the docs
> >   at <link>. Proceeding with other libs..."
> 
> It's currently:
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> *** If you don't need Boost.Python, you can ignore this section  ***
                                                                 ^
Add a semicolon.

> *** pass --without-python to suppress this message in the future ***
> 
> skipping Boost.Python library build due to missing or incorrect configuration 
> ...
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> How's that?

Looks perfect (with the semicolon).

> >> >> >   Um, what are targets?
> >> >>
> >> >> Standard build-system-eze for "element of the build dependency graph."
> >> >> These messages are inherited from jam; should we remove them?
> >> >
> >> >   I don't think so. But maybe some explanation in
> >> >   the docs (in non-build-system-eze) of what they
> >> >   are would be good.
> >>
> >> Why shouldn't the tool output messages in non-build-system-ese? [...]
> >
> >   Oh it should. I didn't say anything against that,
> >   did I?
> 
> Well, no, but telling you that we found 4471 targets and we're
> updating 1123 of them has to be more cryptic than helpful!

How about something along these lines:

   Found 4471 items to build, of which 3348 were already current.
   Updated 1123 items.

> >> Well, what do you think?  I mean, of course, dots while there's
> >> success, and error messages when there are errors.
> >
> >   Mhmm. Not seeing anything is always distracting.
> >   Seeing to much isn't good either. So the dots
> >   are probably a good idea.
> 
> Okay.

There's always the old standby approach of printing, in
succession, the following strings:

   "\r-"
   "\r\"
   "\r|"
   "\r/"
   repeat

That avoids spewing thousands of lines or characters of output,
yet gives active feedback.

-- 
Rob Stewart                           stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer                     http://www.sig.com
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  using std::disclaimer;