Re: [boost] Thanks Bjam!

From: Andy Little (andy_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-06-28 10:51:02

"David Abrahams" wrote
> "Andy Little" wrote
>
>> "David Abrahams" wrote
>>> "Andy Little"writes:
>>>
>>>> Whenever I invoke bjam I get this first:
>>>>
>>>> warning: Python location is not configured
>>>> warning: the Boost.Python library won't be built
>>>> Building Boost.Regex with the optional Unicode/ICU support disabled.
>>>> Please refer to the Boost.Regex documentation for more information
>>>> (and if you don't know what ICU is then you probably don't need it).
>>>>
>>>> Thanks Bjam. You know what? I really don't care!
>>>
>>> Got anything constructive to say about it?
>>
>> Nope. Just more ranting I'm afraid...
>
> well, please try to do better.  Try to remember that we're all on the
> same team here.

Ok David, I will try.

>> Why not make disabling 'optional' Unicode regex support the default,
>> seeing as its optional and I'm obviously too thick too know what ICU
>> is, so I don't need it as the message rather rudely reminds
>> me. After all if I was clever enough to know what ICU is, I would
>> probably be clever enough to switch Unicode/ICU support on if
>> required wouldnt I, which seesms to be the implication.
>>
>> Same for Python library. I havent configured it, I obviously don't
>> want it unless some dependency crops up in my source code which I am
>> trying to build. At that point tell me about it and then I'll figure
>> out how to configure Python.
>
> Well, they're a bit crude, but these warnings were put in for the
> benefit of the person doing
>
>     bjam install
>
> who makes no explicit request to build Python or Regex at all.

but I'm not doing bjam install, I'm just doing bjam. Why not just put the
information in the Boost install docs?

Cryptic warnings are bad, especially if I am a Newbie to the process of building
boost. It might be OK If this was a GUI installer with quick access to the help
file (but probably not), but these cryptic messages when starting bjam do me as
a Newbie no good at all. They just worry me. They dont provide adequate
information to sort the problem out.
 Either Python configuration and Regex "Optional "support for Acronyms is
required or it isnt. If it is then output an error message and quit. If it isnt
then its irrelevant to me and I shouldnt be seeing it.

Anyway I recently tried installing the Adobe Open Source ASL library using Bjam.
For various reasons the build failed, but the boost part of the build went OK.
If I hadnt known better I might have associated the warnings ouput by Bjam as
contributing to the failures in building the ASL library, whereas in fact they
were completely irrelevant to the problems and I finally completed the build,
though the warnings faithfully appeared as usual.

>> The fact is that all my tests and examples seem to build fine
>> without me having done anything about configuring Python or Regex,
>> so these messages are completely bogus AFAICS. What purpose do they
>> serve?
>
> To let you know that although you may get some usable subset of Boost
> functionality, you won't get all of it.

Sure, then put this in the documentation.

regards
Andy Little