compiler wrappers

[Lars J. Aas]

Having one semi-functional compiler wrapper for MS Visual C++, and
another one for Borland C++ coming along nicely, I've started thinking
of how this should be integrated with the Auto-tools.

What I have come up with is a scheme something like this:

1) The scripts are installed in $auxdir.
2) The script names are prefixed "com-" (for compiler option mangler)
   (manipulator, merger, masker, morpher, whatever...).  "com-" is easily
   associated with "compiler", so it seems like a suitable prefix.  The
   two existing wrappers will be named com-vcc (com-msvc?) and com-bcc.

?: Which package should deliver the wrappers - Autoconf or Automake?
   Autoconf doesn't have any autoconfiscate utility that adds scripts
   and stuff, while Automake has the --add-missing option and installs
   a set of scripts already.  However, I feel they are more in the
   realm of Autoconf than Automake.

With this scheme, configure can walk through $auxdir/com-* to check 
which compiler option manglers exist, and if any can be used on the host
system.

However, doing it alphabetically (the way they will be ordered when you
glob $auxdir/com-*) will probably not be desirable, and you might want to
be able to specify which compiler suite you want to use - something like
--with-borland or --with-visual-c++ - and to support such options, there
has to be an interface between configure and the manglers for configure
to be able to extract important information like e.g. the name to be used
in the --with- option.

Well, that's all the thoughts on the matter I care to air for now before
getting some feedback.  Let it rip...

  Lars J
-- 
Innovation is one percent inspiration and ninetynine percent perspiration,
and in my case; twice that...  -- Norville Barnes, `The Hudsucker Proxy'