Re: [bug-gsrc] [gnu-prog-discuss] Configuring Python packages

[Brandon Invergo]

Since this conversation has moved outside of the general interest of
gnu-prog-discuss, and for want of a better place, I think we should move
it to address@hidden (gsrc is concerned with automating the build
process of GNU packages, so having Python-based packages fitting in with
the usual GNU build process is important). So after this message, if
you're interested in continuing to discuss it I think we should remove
gnu-prog-discuss from the recipients.

>  iii honestly couldn't tell you if it made any difference: i always do
> "apt-get install automake" when i see an autogen.sh with automake in,
> or i see a .am file and i reallly haven't had a problem with that.
> perhaps i'm not the best person to speak up, here, as i don't know
> what the gnu package policy is, here.

What I meant is that Autoconf contains many macros for working with
C-related languages and a couple others (Erlang and Fortran). Meanwhile,
Automake, which is Perl-based, contains m4 macros to be processed by
Autoconf for Python. It seems to me that those macros should be in
Autoconf or Autoconf-archive. But, that's something to take up with the
respective maintainers, I suppose.

>  just plain .py files?  if so, then that's good: it just leaves us
> poor daft buggers who are doing c-based modules with something to
> reaally get our teeth into :)

Yes, just .py. Sorry, here's the html version of the doc:
https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/automake.html#Python

>  it would be great to have the option to specify exactly which version
> of python-config is to be used.  or, to be able to specify exactly
> where python is
> (--with-python-executable=/opt/local/bin/python2.7899999123) and for
> it to then work out where python-config is, from there.

This should be easy enough.

>  and also to have some sort of macro which works out that abominable
> LDFLAGS voodoo magic, preferably by way of a
> "pythonwebkit_sources_{INSERTVOODOOWORD} = {insert module source
> file}" thing which basically took care of it all.

I don't yet understand this 100% but I'll study the pythonwebkit and
gnash configure.ac/makefile.am files a bit closer to get a better idea.

-brandon