Re: [MacPerl-Porters] Configure.mpw

[Peter Prymmer <pvhp@best.com>]

On 19 Mar 1999, Matthias Neeracher wrote:

> In article <v04020a12b316dcf66a64@[192.168.0.77]>, Chris Nandor <pudge@pobox.com> writes:
> 
> > There is a chance that the build process could be moved over to Metrowerks.
> > I dunno.
> 
> I'm sort of torn up over this decision. There are two camps, both of which have
> a plausible claim that moving things their way would simplify the build
> process:
> 
> a) There are those who would like to streamline the existing makefile
>    infrastructure, and Peter's Configure.mpw work would certainly fit
>    in well there.
> b) OTOH, there is the idea of moving to a CodeWarrior IDE based build,
>    which is becoming more attractive with the forthcoming XML infrastructure
>    for CW Project files and with the improved support for Perl in CW.

For me the most complicated aspect of the build process is assembling the
ingredients.  Once they are all there they can pretty much do whatever
they need to automatically.

There is also the "Perl is free, hence should be built with free
tools" aspect of the argument (especially if SC and/or MrC could be
adopted to the task of building perl).  On the other hand I 
certainly would not mind seeing a good IDE and XML working on 
something like this.  I don't actually have a strong opinion either way.
I am more interested in making the build process smooth, easy and hopefully
somewhat familiar to folks from other platforms (in this regard take 
a look at the "Ask Tim" section at www.ora.com where Tim O'Reilly is 
being pummelled with requests for Mac books, including specific 
requests for MPW books).

Bear in mind that as a first step something like Configure.mpw is really
only to help out with crossing T's and dotting I's: in particular making
sure that headers, libraries, and compilers are in place.  As a
practical matter I'd personally like it too if the configuration and build
on many different platforms was as uniform as possible.  Toward that end I
have made the GUI portions of Configure.mpw sort of optional.  I think
that the script is a good bit more text based than perhaps it needs to be
to merely work on the Mac, but that was a nod toward the informative
feedback that the Bourne shell version gives (I think Larry Wall has
written on the psychological aspects of running that script).

On specific matters: should sfio be built before perl?  BTW what is the
:qnx: folder doing in the MacPerl_Src:macperl: folder anyway (the ar
script uses a tool called `wlib` and the cpp uses `cc`)?

Thanks.

Peter Prymmer



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