Re: A better autogen.sh

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:08:21 -0700
> From: Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
> CC: rgm@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org
> 
> On 03/16/2011 01:10 AM, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> 
> >> > The src/config.in file is one example of these #ifdef-like
> >> > constructs.  The main reason we put src/config.in in the
> >> > repository, and keep track of it and commit it by hand,
> >> > is for the MS Windows port.
> > It was never because of MS-DOS.  This file was there from day one.
> > This is the first time removal of this file is considered.
> 
> The idea has been considered before, I expect.

I'm not getting younger, and my memory is not getting better, but I
cannot recall such a discussion in the past nor a decision to drop the
idea because of non-Posix platforms.

> Right now, the file is in the repository only because of the MS-DOS
> port, and that suggests that the repository copy should be moved to
> the msdos/ subdirectory.

No, right now the file is in the repository because it was always
there, and we are discussing whether to remove it.

> Whenever maintainers feel it necessary, they could autogenerate a
> new version, copy it into the msdos/ subdirectory by hand, and
> commit the result.  That should be enough to address concerns
> about the MS-DOS port.

It will be enough if someone takes upon themselves to perform this
duty as a matter of routine.  Are you volunteering for the job?

> > And I need to worry about Posix platforms when I edit files in those
> > same directories.  So what?
> 
> Emacs is part of the GNU project, and the main goal
> of the GNU project, as I'm sure you know, is to develop
> a complete Unix-like operating system that is free software.
> So, it's inherent to Emacs that its code needs to be working
> on Unix-like platforms.

Not on Unix-like platforms.  On GNU platforms.  That's not the same.

I could understand an argument that supporting Unix-like platforms is
easier.  (And even the "easier" argument is IMO minor, looking at all
the stuff in lib/ that is needed to support those Unix-like non-GNU
platforms.)  But the argument about being part of the GNU project is
bogus, because there's no difference between MS-Windows and Solaris in
that respect: they are both proprietary platforms.

> > Maybe you will also claim that bidirectional editing is not needed
> > by "the rest of us", so my work on that is not important.
> 
> I would not dream of making such a claim.  But that is a
> separate issue, and I don't see why it is relevant.

It is relevant because if I lose the ability to build Emacs with no
fuss on Windows, I will be unable to continue my work on bidi.