Re: Compiling Emacs from Source

[Dan Mack <mack@macktronics.com>]

Robert Thorpe <rt@robertthorpeconsulting.com> writes:

> Recently there was some discussion about upgrading Emacs.  Package
> managers and distros were discussed.
>
> I have a more basic question.  The distro I'm using doesn't provide
> Emacs 25, I'm still on 24.4.  So, I want to compile Emacs 25.
>
> The problem for me is the configuration flags.  I don't understand them
> that well.  What configuration flags would this list recommend?
>
> BR,
> Robert Thorpe

My two cents -

The GNU software build process has been refreshingly consistent for
decades.  If you use the tar-balls from https://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/,
you can usually just follow the basic algorithm:

 - untar the tarball
 - cd pkg-ver.min/
 - ./configure --help

Often, the "special" non universial options to configure will be
documented in the output if you pass "--help" - this might vary from
package to package but has served me well since around 1990 or so.

The GNU pakcages usually have a "INSTALL" file which gives build
instructions as well.

Also, if you are building from source on MacOS you can start with the
build scripts here:

   https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs.git

As for cherry picking options, this can really vary based on how you are
going to use Emacs and your platform.  As above, I usually take the time
to read the output of configure with --help first and read through the
output and think about which ones I want on/off/set/unset etc.  After a
few builds, I come up with my personal "standard" - YMMV.

Good luck,

Dan