bootstrap was broken since 1.74

From: Neo Anderson (neo_in_matrix_at_[hidden])
Date: 2020-12-12 18:13:12

Hi List,

I am a casual user of boost library. I usually build boost for use to build CodeBlocks IDE on Windows platform. But since version 1.74, I found that bootstrap.bat was broken. So I skipped 1.74 and stuck to the old version 1.73.

Today I am happy to see that 1.75 was out and I thought this problem would have been fixed since it’s a small problem. But I am wrong.

I think line 15 lacks command line parameter: call .\build.bat %1. After adding that %1, I successfully built b2 with bootstrap.cmd gcc.
But when I run .\b2, I get very confusing error messages (which are the same ones in 1.74):

C:\Build\src\boost_1_75_0>.\b2
Performing configuration checks

    - default address-model    : 32-bit
    - default architecture     : x86

Building the Boost C++ Libraries.

    - compiler supports SSE2   : yes
    - compiler supports SSE4.1 : yes
    - has synchronization.lib  : yes
    - C++11 mutex              : yes
    - has BCrypt API           : yes
    - has stat::st_mtim        : no
    - has stat::st_mtimensec   : no
    - has stat::st_mtimespec   : no
    - has stat::st_birthtim    : no
    - has stat::st_birthtimensec : no
    - has stat::st_birthtimespec : no
    - has statx                : no
    - has statx syscall        : no
    - cxx11_auto_declarations  : yes
    - cxx11_constexpr          : yes
    - cxx11_defaulted_functions : yes
    - cxx11_final              : yes
    - cxx11_hdr_mutex          : yes
    - cxx11_hdr_tuple          : yes
    - cxx11_lambdas            : yes
    - cxx11_noexcept           : yes
    - cxx11_nullptr            : yes
    - cxx11_rvalue_references  : yes
    - cxx11_template_aliases   : yes
    - cxx11_thread_local       : no
    - cxx11_variadic_templates : yes
    - has_icu builds           : no
warning: Graph library does not contain MPI-based parallel components.
note: to enable them, add "using mpi ;" to your user-config.jam.
note: to suppress this message, pass "--without-graph_parallel" to bjam.
    - zlib                     : yes
    - bzip2                    : no
    - lzma                     : no
    - zstd                     : yes
    - lzma                     : no
    - has_lzma_cputhreads builds : no
    - cxx11_alignas            : yes
    - cxx11_decltype           : yes
    - iconv (libc)             : no
    - iconv (separate)         : yes
    - icu                      : no
    - icu (lib64)              : no
    - native atomic int32 supported : yes
    - has message compiler     : no
    - native syslog supported  : no
    - pthread supports robust mutexes : no
    - compiler supports SSSE3  : yes
    - compiler supports AVX2   : yes
    - gcc visibility           : yes
    - long double support      : yes
warning: skipping optional Message Passing Interface (MPI) library.
note: to enable MPI support, add "using mpi ;" to user-config.jam.
note: to suppress this message, pass "--without-mpi" to bjam.
note: otherwise, you can safely ignore this message.
    - cxx11_static_assert      : yes
    - std::fstream is moveable and swappable : yes
    - Has Large File Support   : yes
warning: No python installation configured and autoconfiguration
note: failed.  See http://www.boost.org/libs/python/doc/building.html
note: for configuration instructions or pass --without-python to
note: suppress this message and silently skip all Boost.Python targets
    - libbacktrace builds      : no
    - addr2line builds         : no
    - WinDbg builds            : yes
    - WinDbgCached builds      : no
    - BOOST_COMP_GNUC >= 4.3.0 : yes
    - zlib                     : yes (cached)
    - bzip2                    : no  (cached)
    - lzma                     : no  (cached)
    - zstd                     : yes (cached)
    - compiler supports SSE2   : no
    - compiler supports SSE4.1 : no
    - has synchronization.lib  : no
    - C++11 mutex              : no
    - has BCrypt API           : no
    - is Windows CE            : no
    - has stat::st_mtim        : no
    - has stat::st_mtimensec   : no
    - has stat::st_mtimespec   : no
    - has stat::st_birthtim    : no
    - has stat::st_birthtimensec : no
    - has stat::st_birthtimespec : no
    - has statx                : no
    - has statx syscall        : no
    - cxx11_auto_declarations  : no
    - cxx11_constexpr          : no
    - cxx11_defaulted_functions : no
    - cxx11_final              : no
    - cxx11_hdr_mutex          : no
    - cxx11_hdr_tuple          : no
    - cxx11_lambdas            : no
    - cxx11_noexcept           : no
    - cxx11_nullptr            : no
    - cxx11_rvalue_references  : no
    - cxx11_template_aliases   : no
    - cxx11_thread_local       : no
    - cxx11_variadic_templates : no
    - native atomic int32 supported : no
    - has message compiler     : no
    - native syslog supported  : no
    - pthread supports robust mutexes : no
    - has_icu builds           : no
    - compiler supports SSSE3  : no
    - compiler supports AVX2   : no
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:609: in start-building from module targe
ts
error: Recursion in main target references
error: the following target are being built currently:
error: ./forward ./stage ./stage-proper libs/filesystem/build/stage libs/filesystem/build/stage-depe
ndencies libs/log/build/stage libs/log/build/stage-dependencies libs/filesystem/build/stage
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:776: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@7282
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/boost_install\boost-install.jam:1176: in generate-dependencies from
module boost-install
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/kernel\modules.jam:107: in modules.call-in from module boo
st-install
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/util\indirect.jam:105: in indirect.call from module indire
ct
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/tools\generate.jam:59: in construct from module object(gen
erated-target-class)@2809
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1364: in class_at_basic-target.generate fro
m module object(generated-target-class)@2809
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@11221
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@11221
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:934: in targets.generate-from-reference
from module targets
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1277: in generate-dependencies from modu
le object(alias-target-class)@2810
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1334: in class_at_basic-target.generate fro
m module object(alias-target-class)@2810
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@11222
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@11222
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/boost_install\boost-install.jam:1176: in generate-dependencies from
module boost-install
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/kernel\modules.jam:107: in modules.call-in from module boo
st-install
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/util\indirect.jam:105: in indirect.call from module indire
ct
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/tools\generate.jam:59: in construct from module object(gen
erated-target-class)@1817
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1364: in class_at_basic-target.generate fro
m module object(generated-target-class)@1817
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@7281
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@7281
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:934: in targets.generate-from-reference
from module targets
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1277: in generate-dependencies from modu
le object(alias-target-class)@1818
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1334: in class_at_basic-target.generate fro
m module object(alias-target-class)@1818
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@7282
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@7282
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:934: in targets.generate-from-reference
from module targets
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1277: in generate-dependencies from modu
le object(alias-target-class)@184
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1334: in class_at_basic-target.generate fro
m module object(alias-target-class)@184
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@5196
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@5196
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:934: in targets.generate-from-reference
from module targets
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1277: in generate-dependencies from modu
le object(top-level-target)@190
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1334: in alias-target-class.generate fro
m module object(top-level-target)@190
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0\boostcpp.jam:403: in build-multiple from module object(top-level-target)@1
90
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0\boostcpp.jam:393: in class_at_top-level-target.generate from module object(to
p-level-target)@190
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@5198
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@5198
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:934: in targets.generate-from-reference
from module targets
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1277: in generate-dependencies from modu
le object(top-level-target)@191
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:1334: in alias-target-class.generate fro
m module object(top-level-target)@191
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0\boostcpp.jam:403: in build-multiple from module object(top-level-target)@1
91
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0\boostcpp.jam:393: in class_at_top-level-target.generate from module object(to
p-level-target)@191
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:812: in generate-really from module obje
ct(main-target)@5199
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:784: in class_at_main-target.generate from
module object(main-target)@5199
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/build\targets.jam:273: in class_at_project-target.generate fr
om module object(project-target)@134
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src\build-system.jam:797: in load from module build-system
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/kernel\modules.jam:295: in import from module modules
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/tools/build/src/kernel/bootstrap.jam:139: in boost-build from module
C:/Build/src/boost_1_75_0/boost-build.jam:17: in module scope from module