Arnd Hanses posted:
<stuff snipped, current subject GNU autoconf>
>
> Provided, box isn't too modern. New vendor patches (or new glibc) break
> configure tests, 'till someone is so kind as to provide the fix (which
> in turn breaks other tests, elsewhere, etc.)
>
Sort of strange... I have used linux since 0.99pl13, libc 4 (the old a.out
days). I now used linux 2.2.x, glibc 2.1 (ELF) and gcc 2.95 and autoconf has
never failed yet except precisely once due to a bash difference. My fixed
version worked on both the old and new bash. The complete list of upgrades and
changes is beyond any number of vendor patches. Autoconf generated scripts
handled all these changes with no remaking or fixing.
> Well, at least here they told me:
>
> Never even think about gcc or auto*xy on (not so good) old sgi
> xl-8 (irix), ibm rs6000/580 (aix), hp 9000/755 (hp-ux), or even on
> stone-age cd 4360 (ep/ix). At least there, you're stuck with native
> compilers.
>
Contary to popular rumor configure scripts can use native compilers and even
work using acc (Solaris' *very strict* ANSI compliler). These doom sayers are
basically completely and utterly out of touch with reality and wrong. In
reality tedious effort has been made to make autoconf compatible with all the
brain damage out there and works fine on all the systems you cite and even
with acc (before acc breaks the build process by insisting that foo.cc is not
C++, due to unique and apparently unfixable acc brain damage).
> >The cygnus cygwin stuff supports configure that works 100%. no suprise.
<lots more snipped>
>Well, they are the maintainers and have an commercial interest, to sell
>their cygwin; no surprise.
>
I think this was actually to mimise their headaches, as cygnus tools use GNU
autoconf. While they might sell you cygwin stuff on a CD the tools are
actually GPL and you can download them free (modulo disc space, bandwidth
costs, etc).
Some of the GNUPro stuff may be more commercial, although I know some of the
major components are free software (GPL or otherwise).
I have personally downloaded and installed the full version free. It beats the
hell out of attempting to use M$'s supposedly BSD compatible sockets, which
dies on a *most* code (including code not using the dark corners). As for the
direness and lack of features of nmake do not inquire.
--
Duncan (-:
"software industry, the: unique industry where selling substandard goods is
legal and you can charge extra for fixing the problems."
