Re: [bug-gawk] Question about git build system

[Aharon Robbins]

Hi.

> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:21:15 -0500
> From: Assaf Gordon <address@hidden>
> To: Aharon Robbins <address@hidden>
> CC: address@hidden
> Subject: Re: [bug-gawk] Question about git build system
>
> Thanks!
>
> Aharon Robbins wrote, On 12/15/2012 03:18 PM:
> > See the node "Derived Files" in doc/gawk.texi in the master branch for
> > an explanation of why the derived files are there.
> > 
>
> That section indeed clears things up.
>
> While I understand the need to keep the derived yacc/bison files in
> the released tarballs, keeping the autotool derived files in the git is
> quite different from almost all common project.
> 
> The goal is to make like easier for the users and developers, but isn't
> the assumption that if the user cloned a git repository (as opposed to
> downloaded a tarball) - he/she is already familiar (or expected to be
> familiar) with autotools? and have everything in-place?

No. As the file mentions, there are awk "power users" who can do
the magic incantation to build gawk but who aren't C programmers.
If they want to check out new features, they shouldn't have to go
through the pain of bootstrapping 5 separate tools just to be able
to build gawk.

(Try bootstrapping GNU grep from git on a really old system sometime.
You won't have much hair left. I don't.)

Thanks,

Arnold