Re: [boost] Status of Visual Studio 2017 support

Subject: Re: [boost] Status of Visual Studio 2017 support
From: Paul A. Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-02-21 12:29:16

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Boost [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Bo Persson via Boost
> Sent: 21 February 2017 10:17
> To: boost_at_[hidden]
> Cc: Bo Persson
> Subject: Re: [boost] Status of Visual Studio 2017 support
> 
> On 2017-02-21 03:47, Tom Kent via Boost wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 5:32 PM, degski via Boost <boost_at_[hidden]>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> On 20 February 2017 at 16:33, Tom Kent via Boost <boost_at_[hidden]>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> I strongly diagree with that. The primary use case for windows developers
> >>> with visual studio is as a user of the headers and .lib/.dll files that
> >>> come out of boost, inside their project files (configured with a gui to
> >> add
> >>> include/library paths).
> >>
> >>
> >>  You seem to imply that the above is different for developers not on
> >> windows (other than the "gui" being bash and vim).
> >>
> >
> >> Most users do not need boost build except for the
> >>> step where they need to create the compatible static/dynamic libraries
> >> that
> >>> they will later use.
> >>
> >>
> >> Isn't the above what everybody does with any library (build and link in
> >> ones' projects).
> >
> >
> > Visual studio has all the settings in the project file, so most developers
> > don't have to set them themselves. I guess it is comparable to how a
> > package manager will add libraries to a directory in the default library
> > path on linux. The key here is that developers, even relatively decent
> > ones, may not have a lot of the background that a typical linux user would
> > have. Specifically, opening the command prompt and running a simple b2
> > command is a lot to ask for even some moderate level windows developers
> > (sadly).
> >
> 
> Even if we know how to do it, we might not want to.
> 
> Usually on Windows you click on Setup.exe and get a list of options on
> what you can install. You can see what is available, and select the
> parts you want.
> 
> That is a lot easier, and more confortable, than reading some
> documentation to try to come up with an incantation like
> 
> b2 toolset=msvc-12.0,msvc-14.0
> 
> 
> Some of us think that C:\> on a black background perhaps isn't the
> ultimate user experience.

So are you offering to build a GUI that will output the necessary command line after choosing from the myriad of options?  Doesn't
sound rocket-science for those that know about these things?  GSoC task?

Many years ago I would have liked this before I was forced to re-learn more about command lines that I wanted to (having imagined
that command line were so last-millennial).

Paul

---
Paul A. Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse
Kendal UK LA8 8AB
[phone]