Bluffer's Guide to autoconf and automake
This talk is not for people with heart conditions.
As users of FLOSS software we have, on occasion, the need to understand the configuration systems of the software we use. More often than not, when we’re compiling software, the first command we run is ”./configure” and, more often than not, that program is generated by autoconf. This presentation will arm you with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. You will learn how to write configure template files and, yes, you will learn about m4. m4 is the macro processor language used by autoconf.
At the end of this talk you will have a basic understanding of the structure and syntax of configure template files. You will be able to define and use configure switches such as `-enable-foo’ and `-with-foo’. Finally, you will be able to generate Makefiles which have information about how the configure process was run. Knowing this you will have enough foundation that, with a little effort, you can dig into the configuration processes of open source projects which use autoconf.
People planning to attend this session also want to see:
Casey West
Casey West Consulting
Casey West lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and three awesome kids. When he’s working for CombineNet people call him a Lead Product Engineer, Infrastructure and Architecture which means he writes code and tries to make the world a better place for his team.
Comments on this page are now closed.
Sponsorship Opportunities
For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the conference, contact Sharon Cordesse at scordesse@oreilly.com
Download the OSCON Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus
Media Partner Opportunities
Download the Media & Promotional Partner Brochure (PDF) for information on trade opportunities with O'Reilly conferences or contact mediapartners@ oreilly.com
Press and Media
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at maureen@oreilly.com
OSCON Newsletter
To stay abreast of conference news and to receive email notification when registration opens, please sign up for the OSCON newsletter (login required)
Contact Us
View a complete list of OSCON contacts
O'Reilly Home | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Sitemap | conf-webmaster@oreilly.com
Event Software Powered by Expectnation
© 2009, O'Reilly Media, Inc. | (707) 827-7000 / (800) 998-9938
Comments
This was a great primer on where to start with your autoconf/automake project.