Re: Summer of Code projects

[Ralf Wildenhues]

[ where is this best discussed? ]

> * Ian Lance Taylor wrote on Sun, Apr 30, 2006 at 09:37:45PM CEST:
> > Hi, I proposed a Summer of Code (code.google.com/soc/) project for
> > autoconf, as seen on:
> >     http://www.gnu.org/software/soc-projects/ideas.html
> > I don't know if any student will sign up for it.  If somebody does, is
> > there any autoconf maintainer who would be willing to be a mentor?

That project proposal now states:

| In general, a carefully written autoconf script will work when
| building with a cross-compiler. Unfortunately, not all scripts are
| written carefully. The goal is to make it easier for this to work
| correctly. The ultimate goal is to make it easier to cross-build a
| GNU/Linux distribution.

To allow to cross-build a GNU/Linux distribution, you usually have to
go and pre-set a bunch of cache variables, fix the packages that do not
cache their runtime tests, and build -- many packages do not necessarily
require Autoconf changes.  So, that would entail fixing lots of
"third-party" packages.

OTOH, Libtool will make you stumble, as it needs work for seamless
cross-building.  And that work, including getting to know the problem
space, is not something for a SoC project IMVHO.

So, although I think the original idea to enhance non-local runtest in
Autoconf is great, and can probably be made to fit a SoC work amount,
I don't think the last sentence of above description matches that goal
so well.

Cheers,
Ralf