Books : GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool (Circle)

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Author name: Gary V. Vaughn, Ben Ellison, Tom Tromey, Ian Lance Taylor

: GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool (Circle)
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.432
EAN num: 9781578701902
ISBN number: 1578701902
Label: Sams
Manufacturer: Sams
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 432
Printing Date: October 16, 2000
Publishing house: Sams
Sale Popularity Level: 144690
Studio: Sams



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Editor's Notes and Comments:

Product Description:
If you are a developer and are looking to participate in the Open Source development growth area you will need to learn new Open Source tools. GNU autoconf, GNU automake and GNU libtool are key tools for Open Source application development. These tools are not easy to learn, so some of the leading authorities on these tools have agreed to work together on this book to teach developers how to boost their productivity and the portability of their application. This book place New Riders/MTP at the center of the Open Source development community. Autoconf, Automake and Libtool is an efficient discourse on the use of autoconf, automake and libtool aimed at reducing the steep learning curve normally associated with these tools. This is a study guide to the interactions between the tools, and how best to get them to cooperate. If you are a developer and have no GNU build environment expertise, this book will help you develop these tools completely and confidently.

Amazon.com Review:
The sucess of 'open-source' software is dependent on programmers around the world being able to develop software that runs on many flavors of Unix and Linux. The GNU autoconf, automake, and libtool 'autotools' are powerful tools that simplify writing software on different platforms. GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool is a technically adept and expert guide to using these utilities effectively. Any C/C++ or script programmer who writes software under Unix/Linux will want to have a copy of this book to make better use of these powerful and sometimes obscurely documented tools.

This text is filled with the nuts-and-bolts details of running these three utilities, including command-line switches and the actual, generated files that automate the build process and help programmers port code between different environments. As such, this title will be appreciated by those at their workstations who want a hands-on guide to using the autotools.

There's a danger of missing the forest for the trees here, with all of this necessary detail, but the middle sections of this book pull back a little with several useful chapters on the bigger picture of code 'portability.' Chapters on both C and C++ portability explore language features that likely will cause trouble when code is moved between different versions of Unix (or even between Unix and Windows). A similar section also discusses the issues when developing portable shell scripts.

Readers will appreciate also sections that are devoted to actual source code that's built with the autotools. Starting out simply, the authors also provide examples of more complex source-code modules (including projects that make use of dynamic loading and cross-platform builds). The genius of the autotools utilities is certainly in the details of command-line switches, and the expert tips that are offered here. But it's good also to get a perspective on why you use these tools, and what they do for the working Unix developer.

By covering both the nitty-gritty and the higher level issues of 'portability' in a broader sense, this title succeeds as both a hands-on reference and as a guide to understanding how to write more portable code generally. It'll be a virtual must-have for any serious Unix C/C++ programmer. Although it's not a book you necessarily read from cover to cover, it's chock-full of useful advice that can save considerable time for anyone who writes software for Unix and Linux. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:
  • Introduction and history of Unix and configuration tools
  • The configure tool
  • Makefile and dependencies
  • GNU autotools used for a simple program
  • Porting options and configure.in
  • Bootstrapping techniques
  • Comprehensive introduction to the GNU libtool utility (building and linking options)
  • Using libtool with configure.in andmakefile.am
  • A larger GNU autotools project
  • Distributing files in tarballs
  • Installing and uninstalling packages
  • Strategies and tips for writing portable C code with the GNU autotools (including data types, cross-Unix and Unix/Windows portability issues)
  • Guide to C++ portability (includes issues with variable scoping, exceptions, template, and the Standard Template Library)
  • Dynamic loading and the GNU libltdll tool
  • Advanced automake tips
  • A complex GNU autotools example (including dynamic linking)
  • Introduction to M4 (the underlying language of the autotools)
  • Script portability issues for the Bourne shell and its variants
  • Cygnus's Cygwin and the GNU autotools
  • Cross-compilation techniques
  • Reference for installing the GNU autotools




    • Customer Reviews
    User popularity level: out of 5 stars

    Rated by buyers 1 out of 5 stars - Authors enjoy themselves but don't care about subject of their writing
    Agree absolutely with others saying "authors jump from the basics to esoteric problem cases and back frequently", "much essential information is just not there at all" and "an unorganized mess". Within book's almost 400 pages you will find neither bird's eye concept overview nor answers to specific questions. At least I found neither for I didn't have time or will to read cover to cover through all of the irrelevant stuff (that prevails) and as a reference the book is totally useless. This is that nasty sort of books that spend pages and pages on discussing different "schools of thought" (authors' being superior, naturally) and elementary knowledge hardly relevant to the subject, then all of a sudden jumping into some years lasting arguing with their community opponents, leaving the reader to guess about basic technical things. The overall style when writing about tecnalities is quite careless. A huge disappointment.


    Rated by buyers 2 out of 5 stars - they know their stuff, they can't communicate it
    if you had three books on the GNU build system and were ready to delve into the arcane details, this would be an excellent book.

    if you are looking to learn how to use automake and autoconf to manage a small to midsized project, this book is worthless. the authors jump from the basics to esoteric problem cases and back frequently, and there is no help for those who do not already know the system well.


    Rated by buyers 2 out of 5 stars - This book is too out of date to use.
    First off, the book is very non-linear and very disorganized. The subject material is extremely difficult and non-linear, so this was probably a very difficult book to write, and I sympathize with the authors. I couldn't have done a better job.

    However, as of Nov 2003, the versions of autoconf, automake and libtool that the book uses are very out of date and very deprecated. It's not a matter of "some things have changed", it's a matter of "they're completely different".

    The main ideas and concepts remain the same, but as for the details... you will NOT be able to use autoconf / automake / libtool after reading the book. You'll be floundering in "did I do something wrong or is this just because I'm using a newer version?".

    Do not buy this book until the authors update it. You will NOT learn the subject material and will be very sorry you spent the money.


    Rated by buyers 2 out of 5 stars - Totally disorganized, though interesting here and there
    As a guide to Gnu autoconf, automake and libtool, this book is quite useless. It is utterly and totally disorganized, and much essential information is just not there at all. There is amazingly little in the way of examples. So don't bother with it if you want to learn about any of those subjects. The book is not entirely without merit, however. Its redeeming features are scattered sensible comments about software portability and software architecture.

    The authors are obviously very knowledgable and experienced about software. I encourage them to "throw this one away" and try a rewrite from scratch. Short of that, they could provide a road map through their book; very first read this chapter, then skip to the second half of that one, etc.

    The sad news is that there may not be any good guide to autoconf etc anywhere yet. Like the DNA in your body, all autoconf files are very likely descended by an evolutionary process from a few original viable specimens.


    Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - for those who dread makefiles....
    ... this is your lifeline.

    I sit here, staring at a messy Makefile.am and let me tell you, the future is looking pretty bleak. Imagine the rainiest day, the most miserably cold weather, the most awful meal you've had to eat and say tasted great: for some, the pain of dealing with cross platform Makefiles is exponentially worse.

    I thank all the authors of this book every time I try to do something impossible within the constraints of GNU make syntax.

    This book clearly explains Makefile syntax. Then, it explains how to automate it all with GNU autotools. Then, it provides a bunch more information. I think this book is clear and well-informed, and I find myself turning to it instead of the on-line manuals. (Note, this book is available on line as well, for free. Buy it anyway.) Some of the details may be lost on people not doing serious, cross platform Unix development, but the read is still highly recommended.

    For those still think mulletts are cool, writing Z80 asm is "fun," that women and cooties are inseperable, and that real programmers write their own damn Makefiles, I offer my sincerest sympathies. The very first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step is getting this book.

    Godspeed.

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