Is there any reason for building ant distribution in the same directory as the ant source?
I find it very bad - it is hard to tell what file is the source and what is the result of the build, and "ant dist" doesn't create a distribution but just a messed-up source tree. If nobody -1 it, I would like to use ../build/ant for ant build and ../dist/ant for ant distribution. I also think it's a good idea to use a common property ( "buid.dir" ) for all projects as the base for the build work dir, and "dist.dir" as base for all dist directories. A third proposal - let's tag the workspace ( Apr. 4 or anything ) - it is important to have a "known" ant that is used to build other projects. If possible, please don't change the ant's build.xml with the latest and greatest features - right now it works, and if it's not broken don't fix it. You can ( and should ) create test cases for any change, but build.xml is not intended as a test suite. It would also be nice to not change ant behavior or remove features - people are using ant as a build tool. Ant has a very clear design that allows you to desing new tags without changing existing ones, and to specify what implementation you want for a certain tag. Just extend or create new tags based on the tags you feel are "wrong", and use them in your own build.xml. I would rather use a stupid but stable ant, instead of a very smart ant that changes every day. Please let me know if that creates problems. Costin
