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Subject: Re: [Boost-build] The future of B2?
From: Rene Rivera (grafikrobot_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-09-29 23:12:09


Trying to quickly respond to these... So bear with me if it takes a few
days...

On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 7:53 PM, Ryan Gonzalez <rymg19_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> IMO, the main issue with Boost.Build is just lack of documentation.
> There's a reference manual, but it leaves out a lot of stuff (like
> auto-configuration) that's pretty much necessary to use it. The home page
> also lacks any kind of convincing examples.
>

Check.

Also, a lot of companies looking into C++ build systems want blazing-fast
> speed. Unfortunately, b2 isn't necessarily the fastest build system
> (although CMake's make generator isn't, either).
>

I think speed is perceptual in this case. It's possible to re-architect so
as to minimize the user response. For example we could start executing
build actions for actualized targets as soon as the first one is known.
I.e. it just has to feel fast :-)

And the error messages. Oh lord, the error messages.
>

Oh, indeed.

TL;DR: after a brief visit to the home page, there's no obvious reason to
> use it, the reference manual doesn't have anything to put everything it
> mentions together, and the only experiment with b2 the user ever does
> results in a 10-second wait before an error traceback referring to obscure
> terminology that they don't understand.
>

Check.

-- 
-- Rene Rivera
-- Grafik - Don't Assume Anything
-- Robot Dreams - http://robot-dreams.net
-- rrivera/acm.org (msn) - grafikrobot/aim,yahoo,skype,efnet,gmail


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