Re: [boost] Boost building with CMake

From: Gennadiy Rozental (gennadiy.rozental_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-05-10 11:24:10

"David Abrahams" <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:87bqgsu7hn.fsf_at_grogan.peloton...
>
> on Wed May 09 2007, "Gennadiy Rozental" <gennadiy.rozental-AT-thomson.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Let me add my 2 cents on the topic.
>>
>> 1. I believe CMake proponents are simply kidding
>> themselves. Changing boost make system with all it's unique and
>> complicated requirements to anything else would require up to half a
>> year of extensive development. Even based on existing facility.
>
> Yeah, but someone else is volunteering to do the work, so the risk to
> us is minimal.

I've got an impression that this someone do not really understand what he is 
getting into. Could anyone familiar with both BBv2 and CMake estimate amount 
of initilal efforts required? And most probably we will need ongoing 
support.

>> 2. I - as build system user - do not want to know ANYTHING about native
>> build tools. I need single command that results in library compilation
>> wherever I am on.
>
> Agreed.  How is that relevant to the CMake question?

On cursory look on this discussion I've got an impression that CMake is 
native makefile generation system. IOW I will need to
1. run some kind of script to generate makefile
2. run native make command

This is unacceptable for me on both counts.

If we decide to build wrapper around CMake, who is going to develop and 
maintain it?

>> 3. Do we (boost developers) really have any problems with BBv2?
>
> Yes, I do.  I started that project, so I have a vested interest in it.
> Still, I'm just about ready to stop sinking any more time into it.
> Just off the top of my head:
>
> - bjam appears to still be buggy

In my personal expirience with BBv1, most of day to day activities worked 
fine. I never touched BBv2 yet.

> - bjam consumes memory without bound (a design feature)

Do you mean it leaks memory?

> - the build process part of bjam is inscrutable even to experts

Again. Couple times I had build bjam, I had no problems.

> - only one person understands how to work on the core of BBv2

Ummm. How many do you think it should be? How many peoples know details of 
most boost libraries implementation?

> - the code is inscrutable and under-documented

Which code you mean? My understanding is that we got application and scripts 
around it.
Does implementation of any of Boost libraries is documented?

> - that person is not writing documentation that would allow others to
>  understand it

I remember there were several people volontiring to help with with making 
docs clear and "english friendly" ;)

> - the language in which it is written is used in no other tool or
>  project, thus presenting a barrier-to-entry for volunteers.
> - that person can't handle the volume of feature requests, help
>  requests, and bug reports he gets.
> - there appear to be unresolvable philosophical differences about the
>  design future of BBv2: http://tinyurl.com/34fqko

All in all the problems you are descripbing are real, but they primarily 
from development/support prospective, not usage.

>> If more docs are required, wouldn't it be easier to write them
>> instead of wasting time jumping from one build system to another?
>
> Apparently only one person understands the system well enough to write
> them, but he is unable to keep up with the pace of development.  I
> think maybe you can relate to that predicament ;-)

Oh. Yes. This one hits close to home. But I still think working on docs is 
easier and more realistic than all around switch to the different make 
system.

Gennadiy