On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 9:05 AM, Dirk <noisyb@xxxxxxx> wrote: > I know pretty well what I'm talking about. I was using autoconf for some > months to configure my projects but then switched to my own solution > because autoconf was just bloated overkill... overkill that forced me to > spend time with it. I'm happy I stopped using it before I wasted time > digging into M4. "some months..." I hesitate to say this because I know what your response will be, but here goes: No one becomes good at a tool set that does as much as autoconf/automake/libtool do without a few years of effort. I've worked with the autotools (on and off) for about 5 years now. I feel pretty comfortable with them at this point, and I'm not an m4 expert. I know a little m4, but only because I'm curious - and it does help to be a bit curious. I'm sure you'll say now that a tool shouldn't take 5 years to learn and that it just proves your point, but what you're not getting is that autoconf really is as complex as C++ within it's own domain. No one becomes a C++ expert in a few months, but the value proposition is similar between the two comparisons - autotools vs hand-coded configure/make, and C++ vs C. The autotools are NOT a set of tools designed to make maintainers' lives easier (although they do in the long run) - they ARE a set of tools to make a project's USERS' lives easier. This has been said time and again, but people who hate autotools just don't get it. We don't use the autotools because we want to go home early from work today - we use them because we want our users' experiences to be as simple as possible - configure; make and it just works - often even on systems never tested by the maintainer. The guy who gets to type "autoreconf; configure; make" has a tougher job, but because he understands the value he's getting, he put's up with the pain. Yes, the learning curve is steep, but once you reach the top of the curve, it's really not that bad - and look at the value you've gotten. John _______________________________________________ Autoconf mailing list Autoconf@xxxxxxx http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/autoconf
