[Python-Dev] addressing distutils inability to track file dependencies

[Paul Prescod]

Skip Montanaro wrote:
> 
>...
> 
> If the extra complexity came with no added benefits I'd agree with you.

I guess most of us don't understand the benefits because we don't see
dependency tracking as necessarily that difficult. It's no harder than
the new method resolution order. ;)

Jeremy says he has already started implementing dependency tracking.
Would switching strategies to using make actually get us anywhere faster
or easier?

> However, most makes actually do support a fairly basic common syntax.  Who
> cares about %-rules and suffix rules?  Those are only there to make it
> easier for humans to maintain Makefiles Just generate a brute-force
> low-level makefile.  Distutils will then do the right thing in the face of
> file edits.

Okay, so let's say that we want distutils to handle ".i" files for SWIG
(it does) and .pyrx files for PyREX (it should), then we have to
generate rules for those too.

 Paul Prescod