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Re: Common to use Autotools just to avoid Makefile work even if no porta


From: Bob Proulx
Subject: Re: Common to use Autotools just to avoid Makefile work even if no portability concerns???
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 19:16:33 -0600
User-agent: Mutt/1.3.28i

address@hidden wrote:
> I need to confess a dirty little secret.
> 
> I don't really worry about running my program
> on anything other than Red Hat Linux (for now).

In some ways I am in a similar situation.  I don't care about
non-POSIX systems.  If <stdlib.h> does not exist then I am not going
to work around it.  Therefore I don't typically use the full power of
autoconf.  Just enough to get CC and CFLAGS defined properly for my
system.  Just enough to define the things automake internally uses.
But I do use automake for its advantages.

> However, I hope to never write another Makefile
> again.

Makefiles are not so bad.  But I do think that automake gives you a
lot of leverage driving make and Makefiles.

> Is it common/OK to just use Autotools because it:
> 
> 1. looks cool

Yes.  Jammin' with the in crowd.  ;-)

> 2. avoids Makefile work

Yes.  Drives 'make' nicely.

> 3. people expect it

Yes.  People expect it because it makes their life easier.  If you
start off using the autotools then things scale for later.  Someone
else might come along who does care about portability.  With the
framework in place it is easy to keep going with it.

> 4. Did I mention it avoids Makefile work?

Yes.

> Even if I don't have big portability concerns?

Maybe not today.  But perhaps later.  Regardless it provides a nice
build framework.  If it bothers you then you can always say you are
planning for the future.

Bob




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