Subject: Re: [boost] Why Boost.Build?
From: Gregory Crosswhite (gcross_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-03-26 14:19:54
Thanks, Bjørn!
- Greg
On 3/26/11 1:29 PM, Bjørn Roald wrote:
> On 03/26/2011 04:08 PM, Gregory Crosswhite wrote:
>> Hey everyone,
>>
>> Is there a reason why Boost uses Boost.Jam/Boost.Build for reasons
>> other than tradition?
>
> Boost.Build works great for those around here caring enough to
> maintain a build system for boost. Also it seams to work well enough
> that a new build system is not a top priority for people willing to do
> something about it. That said I think the fact that it is not as
> common and well known as some alternatives, and that it is missing
> some features people are expecting causes people to ask for CMake.
>
>> Does it have advantages over other build systems, in particular CMake
>> (which I consider to be its main competitor)?
>
> CMake is not a build system. CMake is a meta build system tool that
> takes a platform independent meta description of a build system and
> generate your platform specific build systems based on it. It seems
> CMake or CMake scripts needs a fair bit of tweaks to replace
> Boost.Build. Trying to make a Boost.Build killer out of CMake has
> taken years by some dedicated people around here, and they are clearly
> not done.
>
>> Are there many people/projects who use Boost.Jam/Boost.Build
>> outside of Boost?
>
> I have no idea, but there are some that enjoy its features - yes.
>
>> These questions are asked purely out of curiosity due to my ignorance
>> of Boost.Jam/Boost.Build, not because I have an axe to grind.
>
> In my opinion, I would like to see efforts to make boost build
> generate CMake scripts and/or visa versa.
>