Re: [Boost-build] switching on toolset

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] switching on toolset
From: Vladimir Prus (vladimir.prus_at_[hidden])
Date: 2015-06-22 07:39:20

On 6/20/2015 7:52 PM, Robert Ramey wrote:
>
> LOL - I have no idea - Boost Build is a total mystery to me for the reasons I've stated.  It has lot's of
> "automatic" behavior built in with the hope that it will "just work".  Which it does - until it doesn't. Then
> you find your self trolling the bjam macros to some undefined depthing trying to find the conflict.  This wastes
> huge amount of time.  Worst of all this behavior can change on hidden variables - os, compiler version, other
> switches, etc.... It's probably the reason that boost build is such a time consumer.

Robert,

you've made the same point earlier. If I remember correctly, the responses was:

- Steven's asked you to provide more concrete issues, as well as proposed changes to behaviour
- I have asked you to comment on a prototype implementation of a better reporting of what's happening

Unless I've missed something, you did neither, and you're making the same generic comment. Sadly, it's not
helpful. I have experience building stuff using all of make/automake, qmake, qbs, cmake, scons and waf
(if we only include tools for C++, and exclude various 'helpful' scripts on top of that). None of them
really isolate you from os or compiler version or other things - or make debugging issues particularly
easy. I'd even claim that Boost.Build --debug-* options are more useful than whatever these tools provide.

So, if you're interesting in improving things, could you act on earlier responses, please?

Thanks,
Volodya