[ros-dev] Regarding new rbuild module type "ElfExecutable"

[Marc Piulachs]

You are absolutely right, we have to try to avoid using particular or
concrete information about the build process on .rbuild files and abstract
the maximum possible data. The .rbuild files at the end should be only
metadata that describes the source code. With this information plus the
context (Environment + Project) rbuild can guess most of the concrete
information needed to generate the appropriate makefile.

Regarding the "ElfExecutable" module type IMHO it's not correct because it
does not describe a generic module type .It's a concrete solution for a
particular problem. If what "ElfExecutable" really does is create a ppc
compatible bootloader version you should modify "MingBootLoaderModuleHandle"
to accommodate it using an architecture switch as you suggested and even
introducing a new attribute, tag or condition if necessary but not a new
module type.

>From my point of view the main problem with rbuild is that there isn't any
responsible of the subproject. When a developer needs a particular feature
he just implements it in its on way which is fine but rbuild is a more or
less complex piece of software that needs to be known what leads to
copy-paste code, inconsistencies and really FULL of hacks .It is becoming
unmaintainable and sooner or later most parts of it will have to be
rewriteen.

One small criticism though I would like to actively work on improving rbuild
but it's a little discouraging because the patches send to bugzilla usually
takes days or even weeks to be applied what leads to merge conflicts if you
keep modifying your working copy. I think other developers feel like me.
Reactos would get a lot more contributions if the patch reviewing process
was faster.

Marc,

-----Original Message-----
From: ros-dev-bounces at reactos.org [mailto:ros-dev-bounces at reactos.org] On
Behalf Of art yerkes
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 8:59 AM
To: ReactOS Development List
Cc: Marc Piulachs
Subject: Re: [ros-dev] Regarding new rbuild module type "ElfExecutable"

On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 14:05:24 +0200
"Marc Piulachs" <marc.piulachs at codexchange.net> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I have been reviewing last changes introduced in rbuild to support the
> powerpc version and I don't understand the new module type
"ElfExecutable".
> Can anyone explain me why is it necessary?
> 
> Looking at the source code I can see that this module type is really
similar
> to the "BootLoader" module type (they produce the boot executable) since
> rbuild already knows the architecture being build I can't see the
difference
> between both
> 
> Also , from my point of view the .rbuild files should contain only
abstract
> information about the build process and not particular one about an
> architecture or a format type to be used , that's rbuild.exe job , produce
> the apropiate makefile using all the information available.

Rbuild definately encodes too much information inside it, and leaves
too little for configuration.  Also, most of the modules don't use
the ARCH setting, so I was reluctant to introduce an architecture
switch in rbuild.  

I wouldn't be opposed to removing ElfExecutable if you'd help me sort
out how rbuild *should* work.  

I'd personally like to see hardcoded strings pulled out into 
properties and the 'if' code made more uniform.  Right now, each tag
type needs to be made separately conditionable.

I think that if we made a few things more data-oriented, then rbuild
would become much easier to adapt.
-- 
"Ask Bill why the string in function 9 is terminated by a dollar sign. Ask
him, because he can't answer. Only I know that".
- Gary Kildall
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