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Mail Archives: djgpp/2000/04/25/12:19:12

Message-ID: <3905B9E3.C6DA3661@worldaccessnet.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 08:29:40 -0700
From: "Roger D. Hunt" <rhunt AT worldaccessnet DOT com>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.08 [en] (Win16; U)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Question about running configure script
Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

I have a question about running what I believe is a configure shell script
in the DJGPP environment.  Although a retired programmer, I am a complete
novice when it comes to C or the UNIX enironment, and I readily admit it's
all Swahili to me.  I feel so silly having to ask what must be very
elementary questions to you folks who have spent years in the UNIX
enironment.  The sole purpose of downloading DJGPP is to compile a complex
mathematical C application that fascinates me.

The application comes with a small README that provides instructions for
unpacking, configuring, and compiling the application.  Their code is
distributed as a gzipped tar file, and they tell you first "gunzip the
downloaded file, then use tar to unpack the archive" with:
    $ gunzip co991215.tgz
    $ tar xvf co991215.tar
which I believe I accomplished by using "pkunzip -d" (at least a ton of .c
and .h files appear to be properly distributed into several subdirectories).

Next they tell you to configure the software by running:
    $ ./configure
which I believe is a shell script.  The first line of that file is:
    #! /bin/sh
which, from what I read in your mail archives, I think is a reference to the
UNIX shell (like DOS's lowly command.com).  There is no DOS-equivalent shell
software on my system, so does that mean I need to download BASH or
something like that?

They also tell you that 'configure' (actually 'configur' in my DOS
environment) is affected by several environment variables, like 'CC' which
controls which c compiler to use, and 'CFLAGS' which specifies the C
compiler flags to use.  The README states that if you are using sh, bash,
ksh, ash, or some other Bourne-like shell, you can simply set the variables
on the command line, for example:
    $ CC="gcc" CFLAGS="-g -O3" ./configure
and that if you are using csh, tcsh, or some other C-shell, you set the
variables by using setenv, for example:
    $ setenv CC "gcc"
    $ setenv CFLAGS "-g -O3"
    $ ./configure
Now I am really lost.  If I had BASH, for example, do I just type 'bash'
from the DOS command prompt and then get the $ prompt, and then proceed to
enter the commands above?  If so, that sounds too simple.  I am just certain
that the UNIX gods have another trapdoor planned for me to fall through.
Does BASH permit the entry of flags on the same line as the command, as in
the first example they gave, or do I need to enter them with the 'setenv'
commands?

Apparently, from what the README tells me, 'configure' determines many
features about the operating system it's running on and generates a
'config.h' file when it's done.  Supposedly then I will be able to compile
the application by using MAKE with the command:
    $ make
also presumably using BASH.  They further state that if you are using Gnu
MAKE, then you can separate the build directory from the source directory.
They tell you to simply make the build directory, cd into it, and then run
the configure from the source directory.  Thus:
    $ mkdir concorde_build
    $ cd concorde_build
    $ ../concorde/configure
    $ make

Am I on the right track in assuming that I need to use something like BASH
for this configure process?  Or is there a far easier way to configure and
compile this software?  Let me apologize in advance for the simpleton
questions.

Roger

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