[Freeipa-devel] [freeipa PR#171][comment] Build system cleanup phase 2

[pspacek]

  URL: https://github.com/freeipa/freeipa/pull/171
Title: #171: Build system cleanup phase 2

pspacek commented:
"""
@lslebodn I'm really trying to explain this but I'm still not able to get the point across. 
> My concerns are related purely to C-code.

Please understand that IPA client consists of components in C as well from components in Python, and also non-programatic components like translation machinery etc.

We certainly can create m4 include maze and force maintainer to always use `grep` before he finds particular part in the build system. Unfortunatlly, even the m4 maze will not solve the problem that client-only build of C binaries simply do not constitute working IPA client. Integration with other Python components is necessary to get the client to work.

The end goal is to fold all of hand-made Makefile and SPEC file scripts to the build system, so in the end, it should help with porting to other arches - there will be just one place where changes need to be done, instead of three.

I hope that it clears up why it is not useful to insist on keeping current pieces as they were before. The design document was sent to freeipa-devel mailing list in this thread:
https://www.redhat.com/archives/freeipa-devel/2016-October/msg00134.html
Please discuss conceptual questions on the mailing list so we can get attention of other FreeIPA developers and avoid need to point people one by one to this PR.

Thank you for understanding.
"""

See the full comment at https://github.com/freeipa/freeipa/pull/171#issuecomment-255172783