[Python-Dev] Usage of --with- configure options

[Martin v. Loewis]

I noticed that Python's configure.in does not follow the autoconf
style for using --enable- options. The autoconf documentation says

#   Some packages require, or can optionally use, other software packages
# which are already installed.  The user can give `configure' command
# line options to specify which such external software to use.  The
#  options have one of these forms:
#
#     --with-PACKAGE[=ARG]
#     --without-PACKAGE
...
#    If a software package has optional compile-time features, the user
# can give `configure' command line options to specify whether to compile
# them.  The options have one of these forms:
#
#     --enable-FEATURE[=ARG]
#     --disable-FEATURE

So --with- options should be used for integrating 3rd party libraries,
--enable- options for features that that can be independently turned
on or off.

I'd conclude that the following options are provided incorrectly in
Python 2.0: --with-pydebug (should be --enable-pydebug),
--with(out)-cycle-gc (should be --disable-cycle-gc). Is this something
that should change?

Regards,
Martin