====== GNU Autotools & Systemd vs SysV ======

24th September

===== An overview of GNU autotools by Danny Robson =====

{{:workshops:20140924-autotools.pdf|autotools.pdf}}

Notes:
- creates Makefile and is the standard way of working
- standard configure, make, make install.
- great for a heap of distros and different architecture
- great for anything but windows.
- bit more painful for Windows
- it's old, but it's reliable & stable.
- good for specific languages c,C++,objective C, erlang. Not so much python, ruby, lisp, perl.

- configure.ac - where is the compiler, where are the tools, uses M4 language
- autoconf - creates configure shell script.
- configure - how we are going to build things
- Makefile.am -  what do you want to build, where are those files

Simplified
- You only really need to worry about these two files
  - configure.ac - tools
  - makefile.am - where your source is.

- autoscan can create your configure.ac, it's not perfect
- autoproject - same but from debian, it's complicated.

- autoconf uses any file with a '.in' extension.

- AC_SEARCH_LIBS allows you to find libraries depending on the distro

- pkg-config

- autoheader - lots of defines
- autoconf-archive - finds a lot of libs
- gettext - I18n, compiles into different languages.
- libtool - Huge library tools. Helps with many systems for library.

Further Reading
- Don't bother with the 'Goat book'
- Read GNU manuals, really good.
- man pkg-config, lists all options you need.

===== Systemd vs Sys-V =====

It was mostly a one sided arguement for systemd. Join the mailing list for an ongoing debate between the two.