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* Using CMake for building GCC
@ 2022-09-11 14:29 Junk Trash
  2022-09-11 15:09 ` LIU Hao
                   ` (2 more replies)
  0 siblings, 3 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: Junk Trash @ 2022-09-11 14:29 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: gcc

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Hi,

I want to get the opinions of GCC developers regarding adding CMake as a build system for GCC. Is it something you would like, something you are neutral about, or something you are strongly against?

Thanks for your valuable feedback!

Regards,

JT

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread

* Re: Using CMake for building GCC
  2022-09-11 14:29 Using CMake for building GCC Junk Trash
@ 2022-09-11 15:09 ` LIU Hao
  2022-09-11 16:27 ` NightStrike
  2022-09-13  6:30 ` Iru Cai
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: LIU Hao @ 2022-09-11 15:09 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Junk Trash, gcc


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在 2022-09-11 22:29, Junk Trash via Gcc 写道:
> Hi,
> 
> I want to get the opinions of GCC developers regarding adding CMake as a build system for GCC. Is it something you would like, something you are neutral about, or something you are strongly against?
> 
> Thanks for your valuable feedback!
> 
> 

https://twdev.blog/2021/08/cmake/



-- 
Best regards,
LIU Hao

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^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread

* Re: Using CMake for building GCC
  2022-09-11 14:29 Using CMake for building GCC Junk Trash
  2022-09-11 15:09 ` LIU Hao
@ 2022-09-11 16:27 ` NightStrike
  2022-09-12  8:07   ` Jose E. Marchesi
  2022-09-13  6:30 ` Iru Cai
  2 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: NightStrike @ 2022-09-11 16:27 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Junk Trash; +Cc: gcc

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On Sun, Sep 11, 2022, 10:30 Junk Trash via Gcc <gcc@gcc.gnu.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I want to get the opinions of GCC developers regarding adding CMake as a
> build system for GCC. Is it something you would like, something you are
> neutral about, or something you are strongly against?
>
> Thanks for your valuable feedback!
>
> Regards,
>
> JT
>

The high level premise of autotools is to make life harder for the build
system maintainer of a project and easier for a user. This makes sense on
several levels, including portability and familiarity. Cmake, on the other
hand, makes life somewhat easier for the build system maintainer (I
suppose) and harder for the user. This works for a pet project or something
without wide distribution, but I don't personally find it to be a good
design principle for usable and portable software.

Autotools isn't perfect (configure steps are slow, for instance), but it's
robust, reliable, portable, and trivial for an end user.

>

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread

* Re: Using CMake for building GCC
  2022-09-11 16:27 ` NightStrike
@ 2022-09-12  8:07   ` Jose E. Marchesi
  0 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: Jose E. Marchesi @ 2022-09-12  8:07 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: NightStrike via Gcc; +Cc: Junk Trash, NightStrike


> On Sun, Sep 11, 2022, 10:30 Junk Trash via Gcc <gcc@gcc.gnu.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I want to get the opinions of GCC developers regarding adding CMake as a
>> build system for GCC. Is it something you would like, something you are
>> neutral about, or something you are strongly against?
>>
>> Thanks for your valuable feedback!
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> JT
>>
>
> The high level premise of autotools is to make life harder for the build
> system maintainer of a project and easier for a user. This makes sense on
> several levels, including portability and familiarity. Cmake, on the other
> hand, makes life somewhat easier for the build system maintainer (I
> suppose) and harder for the user. This works for a pet project or something
> without wide distribution, but I don't personally find it to be a good
> design principle for usable and portable software.
>
> Autotools isn't perfect (configure steps are slow, for instance), but it's
> robust, reliable, portable, and trivial for an end user.

Very well said.  Distributed source tarballs are a blessing for both
distros and users.

Often people suggesting replacing autotools with CMake do so under the
assumption these two programs do the same thing: they don't.

I would very strongly oppose using CMake for building any program I
contribute to, and I would certainly never use it in any program I
maintain myself.

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread

* Re: Using CMake for building GCC
  2022-09-11 14:29 Using CMake for building GCC Junk Trash
  2022-09-11 15:09 ` LIU Hao
  2022-09-11 16:27 ` NightStrike
@ 2022-09-13  6:30 ` Iru Cai
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: Iru Cai @ 2022-09-13  6:30 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: gcc

In my opinion, the advantage of autotools is that it can generate a 
configure script that can be shipped with the source tarball, then any 
one with the source can run the configure script when the system has a 
POSIX shell and tools. If using CMake, meson, xmake, etc. the user will 
first need to install the build tool to build the source.

I still hope to have one such build tool which can generate a configure 
script, and have some better properties than autotools:

- implemented in a sane language (I don't like Perl)

- generate a single configure script for the whole project instead of 
running configure on subprojects when running make

- support building with ninja

If CMake, meson, xmake or some other build system support generating a 
POSIX shell configure script, I think it would be fine to use it to 
replace autotools.

On 2022/9/11 22:29, Junk Trash via Gcc wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I want to get the opinions of GCC developers regarding adding CMake as a build system for GCC. Is it something you would like, something you are neutral about, or something you are strongly against?
>
> Thanks for your valuable feedback!
>
> Regards,
>
> JT

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread

end of thread, other threads:[~2022-09-13  6:30 UTC | newest]

Thread overview: 5+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed)
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2022-09-11 14:29 Using CMake for building GCC Junk Trash
2022-09-11 15:09 ` LIU Hao
2022-09-11 16:27 ` NightStrike
2022-09-12  8:07   ` Jose E. Marchesi
2022-09-13  6:30 ` Iru Cai

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