[GRASS-dev] Re: [GRASS GIS] #38: configure.in: wxwidgets and python checks

[Glynn Clements]

Martin Landa wrote:

> > > FWIW, on my system (Debian/stable) there is no python-config in sight.
> > >
> > > $ locate python-config
> > > $ apt-file search bin/python-config
> > > $
> > >
> > > nothin.
> > >  (apt-file searches all packages in the entire Debian(/stable) archive)
> > >  renamed?
> >
> > python-config is part of *python-dev* package (only Debian
> > testing/unstable, it is not included in Etch). I don't know about
> > Mac/Windows Python distribution.

And if you don't have python-dev, you won't be able to build python
extensions for more fundamental reasons than the lack of
python-config.

> on Etch
> 
> python2.4-dev: usr/bin/python2.4-config
> python2.5-dev: usr/bin/python2.5-config

[Does it create symlinks? Anything created by a post-install script
won't be visible from apt-search.]

In any case, that's why we need to allow e.g. 
--with-python=python2.4-config

> I will upgrade configure to check also for python${PYVERSION}-config.

Where are you going to get ${PYVERSION} from before you've located the
python-config program? If there is more than one version installed,
invoking "python" won't necessarily use the right version.

Resist the temptation to turn configure into an expert system. The
general policy is that any deviation from the obvious default has to
be explicitly specified by the user.

E.g. any headers which aren't in the system include path require the
corresponding --with-includes= switch, regardless of how common a
particular setting is.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com>