Re: [Boost-cmake] Analysis of the current CMake system

Subject: Re: [Boost-cmake] Analysis of the current CMake system
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-01-14 18:02:09

On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Brad King <brad.king_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>..
> One of the goals of CMake is to let developers use their favorite
> native tools.

Horrors! As a boost developer, the last thing in the world I want is
to have to know anything about a platform's native tools. I just want
to be able to enter the CMake equivalent of "bjam" in the directory
I'm testing, and have it build and run all tests for all installed
compilers. Perhaps with appropriate arguments if I only want to test
with subset of the compilers, or a single test, or pass in some
compiler arguments.

And of course I'll never even have access to most of the platforms my
tests run on. So the only native development tool is the regression
test reporting system.

You probably know all that, and it doesn't take anything away from
many of the things you are saying. But the fact that a Boost developer
doesn't even have access to native tools on many platforms needs to be
kept in mind. IIUC, this line of argument supports you suggestion
below that "This leaves the Makefile generators as the only option."

>...
> The problem lies in building the tests.  These do not belong in
> high-level targets for the reasons described above.  I'd like to help
> you create an alternative solution.

The offer is much appreciated!

--Beman