[pypy-dev] bootstrapping issues

[holger krekel]

[Marc Recht Sat, Jan 11, 2003 at 11:12:00PM +0100]
> >> There is the idea of not using make/configure/automake
> >> but a simple understandable debuggable (read: python based)
> >> build environment.  IOW words the number of dependencies
> >> for building Minimal Python should also be minimal.
> >>
> > May I suggest scons (http://www.scons.org/)?  It's what I would use in a
> > new project today.
> SCons is a really nice tool, but what about the good old makefile (+ 
> config.mk). We're talking about a small core and Python itself uses POSIX 
> conforming source it shouldn't be that problem. And, SCons requires an 
> installed Python. If an installed Python should be a requirement we could 
> also try to use distutils (to have one dependency less).

Using CPython as a first means of bootstrapping should only be
there for the time beeing.  It's simply practical to start with. 
Eventually there should be a self-contained bootstrapping process.  
IMO this hints at doing a very smallish VM which is able to drive 
the build process to a point where the next-stage VM with more 
features and a generic C-level interfacing could take over.  

SCons is certainly worth checking out but it might already use
too many features of python to be used for initial bootstrapping.  
I doubt that distutils would be of much use at early stages.  
Eventually the requirement for CPython should go away. And once
Minimal Python is unwrapped we don't need a build environment
anymore :-) 

regards,

    holger