[Python-Dev] autoconf --enable vs. --with

[Guido van Rossum]

> I've been working a bit on the build process lately.  I came
> across this in the autoconf documentation:
> 
> 
>     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
> 
>     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
> 
> 
> Is it worth fixing the Python configure script to comply with
> these definitions?  It looks like with-cycle-gc and mybe
> with-pydebug would have to be changed.

OK, but please add explicit checks for the old --with[out]-cycle-gc
and --with[out]-pydebug flags that cause errors (not just warnings)
when these forms are used.  It's bad enough that configure doesn't
flag typos in such options as errors; if we change the option names,
we really owe users who were using the old forms a clear error.

(Is this stupid autoconf behavior changable?  Does it also apply to
enable/disable?)

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)