[geos-devel] RFC7: Discontinue use of autotools

[Paul Ramsey]

> On Jan 8, 2021, at 11:25 AM, Roger Bivand <Roger.Bivand at nhh.no> wrote:
> 
> In so far as geos-config and geos.pc are generated in forms that autotools can use (R packages use autotools to configure the use of external libraries), the main problem is simply that I don't use Cmake, and have never felt confident when obliged to use it. Unless forced, I really prefer not to have to, and as I retire soon, I think I shouldn't begin life as a pensioner by having to learn enough Cmake to be able to build GEOS (nothing else I build regularly uses Cmake).
> 
> Probably part of the problem is the ./autogen.sh step, which most other libraries do not impose, however, the RFC does not mention this.
> 
> My feeling is that my interest in tracking developments in GEOS (on behalf of the R spatial cluster of packages, about 950 at last count) before a release process is triggered will weaken sharply if I have to learn Cmake, used for nothing else.
> 
> The RFC mentions the preferences of commmitters; this is wrong-headed, because the actually useful feedback comes from those in R/Python/etc. who may be able to find regressions, but who will stop testing before release if building from the repo or from source in general gets harder. Then you risk making releases which cause havoc downstream, because you are making it harder for people like me to build from source.  What the committers prefer will decide this, but it isn't wise.

tar xvz geos-3.9.0.tar.bz2
cd geos-3.9.0
mkdir _build
cd _build
cmake ..
make
make check
make install

Or from git:

git clone git at github.com:libgeos/geos.git geos-git
mkdir geos-build
cd geos-build
cmake ../geos-git
make
make check
make install

I'm working right now on more comprehensive web docs that I hope will make it easier for people to get started and use GEOS.

P.

> 
> Roger
> 
> 
> -- 
> Roger Bivand
> Department of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics,
> Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen, Norway.
> voice: +47 55 95 93 55; e-mail: Roger.Bivand at nhh.no
> https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2392-6140
> https://scholar.google.no/citations?user=AWeghB0AAAAJ&hl=en
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