As I wrote at [1] there are some scenarios where the build system and
related tools would like to store persistent state. Some uses for this
include:
* Automatically recording previous build logs, compiler warnings, and
test results.
* Holding build environments (downloaded Mercurial extensions,
downloaded or built toolchains, etc).
* Global mach/mozconfig config files
* Caching of state such as last bootstrap time, last Mercurial extension
update check, etc.
Some of these we can't do today because state in the object directory
frequently gets lost (from clobbers) or is not shared among source
directories. As a result, I'd argue that build system UX and
productivity suffers because we can't tap this potential. I'd like to
tap this potential.
Since we can't store all state in the object directory or in the source
directory, I'm proposing that at some time in the future the build
system will automatically use ~/.mozbuild for persistent state storage.
The location will be configurable via an environment variable or
something, of course. And, when the directory is initially created, we
can add a prompt or a long delay with a prominent notification message
or something. Of course, things would be implemented such that multiple
source directories and multiple object directories continue to work.
Initially, I intend to utilize the state directory for holding a global
mach config file and bootstrap state (so mach and/or the build system
can prompt/notify you to rebootstrap every N days or something).
Are there any objections or concerns?
[1] http://gregoryszorc.com/blog/2013/05/13/mozilla-build-system-brain-dump/
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