Re: [xougen] Regarding server side widgets

[Arwed von Merkatz]

On Sat, Aug 30, 2003 at 05:23:46PM -0700, David Ross wrote:
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: address@hidden 
> > [mailto:address@hidden
> >  On Behalf Of Tyler Hall
> > Sent: 2003 August 29 7:53 PM
> > To: address@hidden
> > Cc: address@hidden
> > Subject: Re: [xougen] Regarding server side widgets
> ...
> <snipped>
> ...
> > And what if I'm a user (not a developer) who wants to download the 
> > latest driver for my 3dfx card in my i386-based machine, 
> > should I have to:
> > - download the full source tree
> > - patch the files scattered throughout the full tree to implement the 
> > driver update
> > - compile the _full_ tree (because I just downloaded it and haven't 
> > compiled it before), including even the SPARC video drivers
> > OR would be more convenient to:
> > - download the XCommon, XServerLib, XVideoDriver-3dfx 
> > packages (or if I 
> > already had the tree downloaded I can just download the 
> > XVideoDriver-3dfx package to replace the older one)
> > - ./configure examines what I have and don't have, adjusts Makefiles 
> > accordingly
> > - compile the stuff I want, only the stuff I want.
> > 
> > Keeping the tree as it stands right now offers no such modularity. We 
> > need to reorganize the source to allow such modularity, not 
> > just to make 
> > life easier for binary packers, but for those developers who wish to 
> > contribute to just one module.
> > 
> > Tyler
> > 
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I absolutely agree that what should be compiled should only be what is
> needed, and/or only what is needed should be loaded.  Similar to the
> Linux method of configuration for compilation and for the modules too.
> But what I have read about imake vs. the GNU Autotools is that imake is
> not very flexible in this regard.  Or am I dead wrong?  Perhaps we need
> to add another level/layer of abstraction on top of imake?  I also read
> that there where some other problems with imake because it used the
> c-pre-processor, what has/have your experiences been?

It is already possible to configure the xfree build process to only
compile and install stuff you want/need. It can all be configure in the
host.def, which drivers to compile, which apps, which libs, ...

All that is needed is imho a nice dialog based config tool to do this.

-- 
Arwed v. Merkatz
Grimoire Guru for video
Grimoire Guru for xfce
Sourcemage GNU/Linux
http://www.sourcemage.org