-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Monday 01 March 2004 03:58 pm, John Lamb wrote:
Steven T. Hatton wrote:
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.
I think for now, I just need to find out who to go from start to `make install'. Every approach I've see seems drastically different. The documentation for each tool is like the professor who thinks every student in his class is going into his profession. That is, the docs tend to ignore the automatic means of performing the documented steps provided by the other Autotools.
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).
I know it's possible. I do it with some of my own projects. But it's all automated by KDevelop, so I don't know how it works. I can look to find out, when I find the time.
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.
Same can be said for Ant. People really need to be willing to reexamine their tools continually to find better and simpler ways of doing things.
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.
I'm still not sure if templates will add all that much to Java. I've found that in most cases where templates would be useful, I can usually isolate the type casting to very limited and regular points in the program. Type casting is about the only thing templates seem to eliminate as far as I can see. The negatives of templates seem to outway the positives as far as I can tell. Sure, it takes some getting used to in Java, but once you accept things are as they are, and are willing to work with them, it works quite well.
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.
Java is not always that slow. I don't know what benchmarks have been recorded for Java 3D and OpenGL, but Java3D is pretty snappy. The slow part of Java typically involves the time it takes to load into memory. I kind of like being able to download the same jar on any operating system, and run it without a problem. I suspect native compiles will always be able to get a bit of an edge over byte compilers simply because the JVM isn't typically natively compiled on each system where it's used. I'm sure I have yet to find the hidden gems in C++. I suspect there is a lot to like about it once you master it. But there is this from the author of _Mastering C++_: http://www.horstmann.com/cpp/pitfalls.html This isn't directed at you, but I have the sense the C++ world suffers from a certain amount of arrogant complacency which isn't justified by the current environment. Sun is now back to focusing a lot of effort on an area where Java should have been far more successful but for that lack of interest. http://wwws.sun.com/software/javadesktopsystem/index.html But this is comical to a veteran KDE user: "With the Sun Java Desktop System, Sun has delivered the first viable Microsoft Windows alternative. The Java Desktop System is a more affordable, secure desktop that is designed to thrive in a Windows-centric world." BTW, the Trolls get it. They know the objective is to make it easy to use.
JDL
Non enim propter gloriam, diuicias aut honores pugnamus set propter libertatem solummodo quam Nemo bonus nisi simul cum vita amittit.
Do I have to get out my Langenscheidt Latin? :-) STH -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.2 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFAQ7FpwX61+IL0QsMRAjQFAKC9Kx2kYHQZ1q/HBM6ZLn5CLIy93wCgo2m5 jjdU0rytrSVMlj6/HvUAr1s= =tzG+ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----