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

[Neal Norwitz]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
> 
> > Gcc has had good dependency checking for probably ten years.
> 
> How do you invoke this?  Maybe we can use this to our advantage.

Here's a bunch of useful options.

gcc --help -v | grep -e -M

  -M                        Generate make dependencies
  -MM                       As -M, but ignore system header files
  -MF <file>                Write dependency output to the given file
  -MG                       Treat missing header file as generated files
  -MP                       Generate phony targets for all headers
  -MQ <target>              Add a MAKE-quoted target
  -MT <target>              Add an unquoted target

  -MD                     Print dependencies to FILE.d
  -MMD                    Print dependencies to FILE.d
  -M                      Print dependencies to stdout
  -MM                     Print dependencies to stdout