Re: [boost] Boost CMake support - Request for Comment

Subject: Re: [boost] Boost CMake support - Request for Comment
From: Peter Dimov (lists_at_[hidden])
Date: 2018-10-15 21:14:07

Edward Diener wrote:
...
>>> My point is that you can not ask each library maintainer to re-invent 
>>> what he already uses from Boost config and/or Boost predef.

It should be noted here that CMake's philosophy with respect to C++ feature 
checks is different from Boost.Build's one. While in b2 we [ require 
cxx11_constexpr ] and do not build if this is not satisfied, in CMake one 
does target_compile_features(... cxx_constexpr) and then this requirement is 
propagated upwards to the targets that depend on the target requiring 
constexpr, the effect being that the top target is automatically compiled 
with -std=c++11.

That's how CMake works and we probably should respect it and not try to swim 
against the current and try to force it into what we do now.

Either way, this is basically the least of our worries. CMake can easily do 
all manners of configure-style checks.