On Thu, 6 May 2021, Andy Tai wrote:
a general question: would a rewrite in Python or some other language, to keep the same functionality as the current implementation, a viable goal, or that would not be a productive thing to do?
There are several major aspects of Automake. One is the use of Perl scripts to transform a user-provided high-level description into a portable Makefile. Another is the design and syntax of the Makefile itself. There are also m4 Autoconf macros to integrate Automake into Autoconf scripts.
Supporting a feature such as two targets from the same source file apparently is aided by depending on GNU Make features so the result would no longer be a portable Makefile. It has yet to be decided to require use of GNU Make.
Perl is not necessarily more difficult to read and understand than Python but some popular Perl syntax may be very difficult for new users to understand whereas Python mostly avoids such syntax.
Regardless, the current major problem is now how difficult the Automake software is to maintain. The major problem is that there is no one fully dedicated to maintain it. All work appears to be done on an intermittent part-time basis.
Bob -- Bob Friesenhahn bfrie...@simple.dallas.tx.us, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/ GraphicsMagick Maintainer, http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/ Public Key, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/public-key.txt
