Steven T. Hatton wrote:
Of course Ant is typically used for Java builds which do not target specific hardware platforms. It's bound to be less complicated. I suspect there are ways to create the Autotools files so they are much more coherent than they often turn out in real life.
It doesn't help to be on an unfamiliar platform reading a tutorial from one version, documentation from another, and actually invoking a third version of the tools when trying to learn. I was on my father's WinDOS 98 using cygwin.
One other thing I'm not sure about is how to work the Qt moc stuff into a standard Autotools system.
If you want to learn how to use autotools that quickly, you might buy a copy of Vaughan, Elliston, Tromey and Taylor: GNU Autoconf, automake, and libtool. There's an online version on http://www.newriders.com/ (IIRC) but there's no substitute for the real thing and you'd be donating to GNU just by buying it. Also, it contains chapters on m4 and cross-compiling that I just know you want to know about. Compiling Qt with moc and autotools can be done, but is a little harder. I don't know if you can get tmake (or qmake) to work with autotools, but you can compile Qt without it by putting the right rules in a standard makefile (or Makefile.am, which is much, much easier). Yes. Autotools is harder than you might want. But it is very reliable. I can write code on linux and just know that it will work on solaris. You might want also to look at the gcj project on http://www.gnu.org/ It will compile java to source so that it might run as fast as C++. Maybe even some day C++ will be obsolete. I've been told that java already has templates designed in so that a java version of STL-like stuff is possible, and clearly there's a good reason for reserving the keyword const. Just add a fully working gcj and java is at least as good as C++, maybe even better: somehow I always feel that STL just isn't quite as elegant as how you'd do things in Python or even APL. -- JDL Non enim propter gloriam, diuicias aut honores pugnamus set propter libertatem solummodo quam Nemo bonus nisi simul cum vita amittit.