Re: [bug-hello] bootstrap vs. autoreconf

[Alexandre Duret-Lutz]

>>> "Karl" == Karl Berry <address@hidden> writes:

 Karl> Regarding the question of a bootstrap script.
 Karl> I think that GNU Hello (and thus by implication all GNU packages :)
 Karl> *should* provide a bootstrap script, for building out of CVS.

Exactly what I'm saying!  This bootstrap script should be called
`autoreconf'.  Having a uniform bootstrapping process for all
packages is what we have been working for over the last years by
teaching people how to stop handcrafting these scripts.  If
`autoreconf' is not enough, it needs to be fixed, so everybody
benefit from it.

 Karl> Perhaps all bootstrap will do in many cases is call
 Karl> autoreconf.  But I still think it should be provided,
 Karl> because it gives the maintainer flexibility to do other
 Karl> things:

I now I'll sound like an extremist, but I think it gives too
much flexibility.  

If you teach people to use `autoreconf' and only `autoreconf',
they will have to setup their package as appropriate for
`autoreconf' to work.  When you get such a package, you know
what to expect from it, because they all work the same
(bootstrap-wise).

If you teach people to write bootstrap scripts they sure will
do.  And the scripts will grow.  And every package will have a
different bootstrap procedure.

[...]

 Karl> - the bootstrap script is a convenient place to warn
 Karl> people about vagaries

Wouldn't it be better to fix the vagaries so you don't have to
warn people?

[...]

 Karl> - in practice, right now I believe autoreconf cannot
 Karl> really be used with gnulib.  When I tried this for
 Karl> Texinfo, autoreconf overwrote lots of new gnulib files
 Karl> with its own older versions.

This should happen if you asked for it (with the --force option).

 Karl> So my bootstrap runs $ACLOCAL -I m4 && $AUTOHEADER &&
 Karl> $AUTOMAKE && $AUTOCONF

This is equivalent to running autoreconf.  Except that
autoreconf will call `aclocal -I m4' only if your Makefile.am
correctly sets ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS, while the above line will work
even if the Makefile.am mistakenly says nothing about it.  IOW
the above line potentially hides a bug (which is unfortunately
present in many packages).


Anyway, I see I'm not going to convince anybody, especially
since I'm repeating myself, so I better spare our time and stop
arguing about this.  Thanks God, none of you have yet retorted
that Automake does have a bootstrap script :)
-- 
Alexandre Duret-Lutz