[cfe-dev] RFC: Upcoming Build System Changes

[Óscar Fuentes]

Daniel Dunbar <daniel at zuster.org> writes:

[snip]

So as having two build systems is problematic, you pretend to improve
the situation by adding a third component that introduces a new
dependency and by inventing a new specification that requires extensive
changes to the existing systems... just to factorize the most obvious
duplicities.

Sorry to be blunt, but this is insane.

If having two build systems is a problem, just standardize on cmake. It
has a few disadvantages (mostly related with it being a build generator,
not a build tool) but lots of advantages. The LLVM cmake system was
heavily influenced by the strict requirement of replicating the concepts
and several key features of the Makefile-based system. I don't know how
much the cmake build changed since I stepped back as the maintainer
(apart from the transition to explicit library dependencies), but there
are lots of room for improvement.

IMO the right thing here is to ask what is missing on the cmake build
that prevents its acceptance as the replacement for the makefile-based
system. My guess is that whatever the cmake system lacks can be fixed
with a fraction of the work your plan requires.