[MPlayer-dev-eng] configure --force-option (was --enable-gif)

[Ivan Kalvachev]

Torinthiel said:
> On Sun, Sep 05, 2004 at 03:29:09PM +0300, Ivan Kalvachev wrote:
>>
>> I had kept silence for too long time. I think we should change this one.
>>
>> The Problem:
>> --enable-option could force option or run test for it, depending on that is
>> it
>> enabled by default or not.
>
> If the test is not enabled by default it means that either:
> 1. There is no test
> 2. The test is somewhat broken
> 3. The test is ok, but somebody forgot to make it default - bug.

I think that there are options without test, that are enabled by default.
Unfixed bugs should not be protected by our policy.)

[snip]

> I personally find --enable meaning enable, not try to detect, but
> I agree that users are used to the senseless meaning. But there is also
> other side of this. If --enable means force, then if we --enable something and
> don't have the packages to do it, compilation will fail. And I find this
> a feature - at least I will know that I'm lacking something. If it means

Are you working in microsoft? This is bug, not feature ;)
It is much simplier to look at configure and see what have failed.
On my system compiling mplayer takes quite some time. It is very annoying
to understand that somebody had changed the behavioud of previously
disabled function, after 30 minutes of compilation...


> 'try' then there is no way (other then manually checking configure.log)
> to check than autodetect failed. Now, a common user passes --enable-foo
> and then asks

Are you talking about mplayer configure? At the end there is summary
that list of all enabled and all disabled modules.
You just have to watch at them ;)

> 'I've enabled foo in my build, but when I try to use it it's not there
> I don't know what is happening, help me!!!'
> I've found myself quite frequently in this situation, only I've first
> searched my logs, then asked ;)

:))

>
> Some solution would be to have 4 mode for each option, lets name them
> 'yes' - force building this, set when you pass --force-*
> 'auto-yes' - autodetect, but fail ./configure if autodetecttion fails.
>              set with sth like --enable-*, but I think it should get
> 			 other name
> 'auto-no' - autodetect. Enable if successful, do nothing if not. Default
> 'no' - totally disable this thing. --disable-*
>

I like it.
Even if configure doesn't fail, it would be very cool to have a list of
"Explictly enabled but not available options" in the end of the
configure script output.
Only If I knew how to make it ;((

Actually I would propose so:

option=auto-no; #when
--force-*)  option=yes;
--enable-*) option=auto-yes;
--disable-*)option=no;

Let's make it!

Wish You Best
   Ivan Kalvachev
  iive