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From: bin@primate.wisc.edu (Brain in Neutral)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: R5 and Imake
Message-ID: <2909@uakari.primate.wisc.edu>
Date: 10 Aug 90 17:51:11 GMT
References: <3534@rsiatl.UUCP>
Sender: bin@primate.wisc.edu
Reply-To: bin@primate.wisc.edu
Lines: 38

From article <3534@rsiatl.UUCP>, by meo@rsiatl.UUCP (Miles ONeal):
> I would like to see Imake made more general.
> ...
> Moving the X stuff into a subarea, so that
> Imake was more generic, yet still used by
> X, would be great. For all its faults, I still
> have seen nothing better. And as with X,
> going ahead with a good standard is better
> than waiting for the perfect one.

imake itself is generic.  Do you mean the X configuration files?  Some of
the generic-ness is already there, in the system-description/build-description
section of Imake.tmpl.  The X-specific stuff is in Project.tmpl.  But you
no doubt already know that, so what do you have in mind other than this?

> As part of this, I would like to see Imake
> removed from the default X tree (at least as
> a bootstrap imake & make world option).

What are the implications of this?  Would you require that imake be already
compiled on the machine in question, and provide source as an option were
that not the case?
Or would it be something separate from the X distribution?

> If the Consortium is willing, but doesn't have time,
> I'd be happy to jump in. Unless Paul has already
> beaten me to the trick or really wants to do it...

I have, I think, with the modifications to extend the config file architecture
to multiple simultaneous projects.  Or maybe not.  I've never actually tested
that against the X config files, but I don't see any obvious problems with
doing so.  I use my own config file suit on lots of projects, with overlapping
but differing requirements, and it seems to do perhaps what you're asking.

This stuff is on indri.primate.wisc.edu for ftp, or I can mail it to people...

Paul DuBois
dubois@primate.wisc.edu