[PD-dev] source distribution with configure?

[IOhannes m zmölnig]

On 07/12/2017 08:02 PM, Dan Wilcox wrote:
> I'm currently updating the INSTALL.txt instructions and am wondering if we should distribute the Pd sources with the configure script ready to go, like most other OSS packages. This way most users don't need autoconf and don't have to run ./autogen.sh. OTOH that's not really a huge dependency when users are already installing the build chain.

I tend towards shipping a minimal package (without configure,
config.guess, config.sub,...), and rely on users having to run ./autogen.sh

my reasons:
- these days many packages use `git archive` to create the source
tarballs. i guess they mostly do this unconsciously, e.g. by using
github's "tag as release" mechanism. but afaics this has mostly
superseded more traditional ways of distributing source code.
miller has expressed his wish to do something like this as well.
and i'm a very strict opponent of including *anything* that is generated
automatically from some other source into the git repository.
so these days i somewhat doubt the truth of "distribute [...] with the
configure script ready to go, like *most* other OSS packages" [emphasis
mine]

- the other reason is with my Debian packager hat on: the generated
autotools scripts are mostly a nuisance anyhow, as they will only
reflect whichever outdated/obsolete autotools version the user who
created the source tarball had installed. esp. when it comes to
supporting uncommon architectures, it is mostly helpful to use the "most
recent" autotools available. as a result, all packages in Debian are
urged to remake the autotools artifacts (e.g. running 'autoreconf').

from a more general pov, i agree that compared to having to install all
kinds of libraries and whatnot, autoconf/automake is not that huge of an
additional burden.


the biggest drawback is of course that traditional wisdom has it, that
the autotools artifacts ought to be included.

gmasrd
IOhannes

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