Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH] Makefile: Turn off the configure target by default

From: Michael J Gruber <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:10:32 +0200

Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason venit, vidit, dixit 11.10.2010 11:40:
> On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 08:39, Jakub Narebski <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 
>> But thanks to having ./configure optional step, we can build git also
>> on platforms that doesn't have autoconf installed (though the same could
>> be achieved by bundling ./configure script with release tarballs).
> 
> It already is built as part of the tarballs, at least for
> http://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-1.7.3.1.tar.bz2

Well, the point of my semi-serious RFC is that every so often, we have a
variation on the following theme on the list:

- "Newbee" uses make configure && ./configure && make and can't build.
- Helpful "oldbees" respond like "Duh! Use the Makefile".

configure is a second class citizen in git.git (we even explicitly
.gitignore it - if you allow that lame joke), and given my complete lack
of auto-conf-foo, I can't change that. But there's no need to make
someone feel stupid (I'm exaggerating a bit) for trying a standard build
tool that we do ship.

But, really, the typical responses to build problems with configure
indicate that most long timers don't use configure either, and probably
don't feel too comfortable with it. So, I think we should either make
the status quo clearer (Makefile as primary method) or change the status
quo. I can only do the former ;)

Michael