[Python-Dev] -C in Setup files

[Andrew Kuchling]

Pete Shinners reported that Distutils doesn't treat the -C option in a
Setup file the same as the makesetup script.  He's right, but I don't think
the -C option is useful in makesetup at all!

The relevant bit of code in makesetup is:
                        case $arg in
                        -framework)     libs="$libs $arg"; skip=libs;
                                        ;;
                        -[IDUCfF]*)     cpps="$cpps $arg";;
                        -Xlinker)       libs="$libs $arg"; skip=libs;;

'-Cfoo' in a Setup file therefore causes -Cfoo to be added to the list
of compiler flags, but at least in GCC, that doesn't mean anything; -C
indicates that the preprocessor shouldn't strip comments, and it
doesn't take an argument.  (Anyone know what -C does in other
compilers?)

Because of this, I think -C in makesetup has been useless since
revision 1.1 of makesetup (which is 1994 -- Python 1.0.0), so I doubt
anyone has ever used it.  Distutils should do something useful with
it, and IMHO that would be to make '-C cpparg' add 'cpparg' to the
compiler's arguments.  Thoughts?  Should makesetup be fixed to match?

--amk                                                             (www.amk.ca)
The more I know me, the less I like me.
    -- The Doctor, in "Time and the Rani"