[C++-sig] First time pointers, first crash...

[Toon Knapen]

>>If you're also using Boost.Build, then neither do I.
>>
> 
> No I'm not. I'm building Boost.Python as part of an MSVC workspace that 
> contains 65 other subprojects -- our app is rather big. My reasons for 
> not using Boost.Build are
> 
> - I don't know how to use jam. I'm able to build & run the demos like
>   shown in the docs, but I don't even know how the set up and run this
>   little test example like you did. Maybe you can give me a few hints.
> 
> - Our app is cross-platform (Win, Mac OS, OS-X). Jam is too, of course,
>   but I don't have an idea how to manage all compile & link options for
>   the various platforms within jam.
> 
> - I'm doing something experimental here. My co-workers are quite sceptical
>   about "this Python thing" anyway, and expecting them (espacially or Mac 
>   guys) to use yet another build tool for a simgle subproject is pretty 
>   much.
> 
> One general question here: Are users of Boost in general supposed to learn
> jam? Since I consider my case pretty "real-world", I hope there is - and
> ever will be - a way and some documentation how to build the libs 
> generically. 


I'm new to boost.python v2 but I do can comment on Jam :

I'm developing multi-platform (all unices and windows) for 5 years now 
and the only way to compile transparantly on all these platforms is 
using Jam. Now you need to keep your VC project files up to date while 
maintaining a makefile system on the unices (which all differ unless you 
use gmake). Don't know about mac but I'm sure you have yet another build 
environment there. To compile the same app on all these different 
platforms should only require calling `jam`. Managing compile and link 
options are managed by jam itself (if you are providing the necessary 
platform-independent info of course)

To start using jam, download a precompiled executable from the web, and 
try some hello-world stuff looking at the Jamfiles inside boost and the 
documentation. If in trouble, many people are picking up jam and 
boost.jam, so support guaranteed.