Build system (was Re: Future of KDE Development)

[Dirk Mueller]

On Friday 18 February 2005 16:26, Stephan Kulow wrote:

> if kdeenv.findProg("blah"):
> 	kdeenv.compileAndInstallProgram("blah", "addon1.cpp",
> install=kdeenv.bindir)
>
> (I made up that syntax, I only had a very brief look at scons so far).

The advantage of scons seems to be its flexibility. However, what majorly 
worries me about scons is its flexibility. 

if the build system actually provides full scripting flexibility, then people 
will make use of it. the result is probably a mostly unmaintainable build 
system. 

As an example.. right now we carefully choose flexible extensions to the 
standard Makefile.am syntax, those are well-thought and can be fixed in 
central places (am_edit / unsermake plugin). if any sconsfile can do 
everything it ones on its own, then it will actually do that. 

Remember the good old days of kdevelop creating all kinds of broken custom 
install hooks for "standard" stuff ? Imagine this ten times worse and you're 
not even half way there what Scons will do to our build system. 

ripping out autoconf/m4 is fine, since is quite ugly (though you can get used 
to it easily  - its really not that difficult). The rest should stay however. 


-- 
Dirk//\