Re: [boost] [1.40.0] Release candidates available

Subject: Re: [boost] [1.40.0] Release candidates available
From: Neal Becker (ndbecker2_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-08-26 14:18:15

John Maddock wrote:

>> I must respectfully disagree.  It's not easy at all.  A new user would
>> probably start with:
>>
>> http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/more/getting_started/index.html
>>
>>>From there quickly jump to:
>>
>> http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/more/getting_started/unix-
variants.html
>>
>> while skimming through, trying not to become frustrated with the
>> bewildering
>> wealth of information there, thinking "what is the damn command that is
>> equivalent to just make?", I don't think he would ever know to look at
>> 
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/libs/regex/doc/html/boost_regex/install.html.
>> It certainly didn't occur to me.
> 
> Then where did you get ICU_PATH from?  It's not mentioned in the
> getting-started guide, and the message emitted by bjam if you build
> without ICU support (ie by following the getting started guide) is:
> 
> warning: Building Boost.Regex with the optional Unicode/ICU support
> disabled.
> note: Please refer to the Boost.Regex documentation for more information
> note: this is a strictly optional feature.
> 
> Then this clearly directs you to the regex lib docs.  But if we can do
> better.... ???
> 
> Regards, John.
> 

I see the warning does point to the regex doc page, which I somehow seemed 
to have not noticed (maybe a url would be nice to add).

Is it possible to prominently display the typical command on common (e.g., 
linux) system to build with typical set of features?  My first reaction, 
when seeing the warning that something is disabled, is to stop the build and 
try to figure out how to get what I'm missing (even if I don't know what it 
is).

My reaction to seeing ICU is missing from regex is to try to fix it, because 
that sounds like it should be easy.

I'm also warned:
warning: Graph library does not contain MPI-based parallel components.

My reaction is to ignore this, because:
1) I don't use MPI
2) I know MPI usually requires nontrivial work
3) I don't think I'm likely to need it

So, in summary, maybe
On quickstart page, somewhere prominent, a pointer that if you see the above 
warning #1, please refer to URL1.  If you see warning #2, please refer to 
URL2.