> I noticed that Python's configure.in does not follow the autoconf > style for using --enable- options. The autoconf documentation says > > # Some packages require, or can optionally use, other software packages > # which are already installed. The user can give `configure' command > # line options to specify which such external software to use. The > # options have one of these forms: > # > # --with-PACKAGE[=ARG] > # --without-PACKAGE > ... > # If a software package has optional compile-time features, the user > # can give `configure' command line options to specify whether to compile > # them. The options have one of these forms: > # > # --enable-FEATURE[=ARG] > # --disable-FEATURE > > So --with- options should be used for integrating 3rd party libraries, > --enable- options for features that that can be independently turned > on or off. > > I'd conclude that the following options are provided incorrectly in > Python 2.0: --with-pydebug (should be --enable-pydebug), > --with(out)-cycle-gc (should be --disable-cycle-gc). Is this something > that should change? I noticed that too. (Arguably also for --with-thread?) I think it's a forgiveable sin against the autoconf style guide, and not worth the work of fixing it. Either way the autoconf --with- or --enable- syntax is stupid because it doesn't check for spelling errors in the options. The rationale for that is that some folks like to pass in unsupported options to a whole tree of configure scripts. I think that stinks, but what can I do. This would make the fix even more work, because we would have to trap --with*-pydebug and --with*-cycle-gc to give an error message, else developers used to the old syntax would never notice the change. --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
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