Fragile Build System (was Re: [OPEN-ILS-DEV] Perl Module Issues)

[Mike Rylander]

On 4/11/07, Jason Stephenson <jstephenson at mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us> wrote:
> Sperr, Edwin wrote:
> >
> > Would life just be a lot easier for me if I was running a Debian box
> > instead?
>

[snip]

>
> Additionally, I've dropped the database and recreated it a couple of
> time. Now, I get all kinds of errors from the database creation scripts
> about missing schemas, etc. That phase asks for the postgres user
> password way too often, I guess because all of the various steps are
> isolated in their own little script files. I think it would be helpful
> to consolidate all of that into 1 script.

Good thought ... I don't want to do that physically, but it can be
made to work like that at run time.

>
> I think a lot of the build problems that I've encountered and that have
> been reported by others on this list would be alleviated if Evergreen's
> build system were switched from the interlocking set of Makefiles to the
> GNU autotools system. With proper prerequisite checks and automake
> templates, a lot of what we're having to tease out by hand could be
> handled by software.
>

The core team here agrees completely.  We've have a couple people take
a look at converting EG to autotools, but no patches as of yet.  Like
other OSS projects, we've "always relied on the kindness of strangers"
for anything we don't have specific expertise in ...

> Just my thoughts/grousing for today.
>
> Cheers,
> Jason Stephenson
>


-- 
Mike Rylander
mrylander at gmail.com
GPLS -- PINES Development
Database Developer
http://open-ils.org