Re: [gnome-love] Things that make you go "What in the world is That?!?"

[Ed Mack <lists edmack com>]

> Fair enough.  Are all of these answers to both questions?  If so, then I
> have three more questions (I'll explain in a minute why I have so many
> questions):
>   1) Why would (or why wouldn't) new developers need to know about
>      optimizing options of gcc?

It's not essential - which is why I haven't learnt about it. The further
advanced features aren't a necessity for someone beginning in all this,
it's more just of a curiosity that might be useful later on in life

>   2) Really?  Most of my makefiles start out like 5 lines long (though
>      some slowly grow over time).  I'm curious as to why you don't like
>      writing them.  I'm suspecting you're using examples that rely on
>      more advanced make features which make them hard to understand and
>      remember, but maybe it's just that I've used make for a decade and
>      I really don't remember what it's like to be a beginner with that
>      tool.  I *really* want to understand the beginner point of view,
>      though, as I've already noticed a number of places in my tutorial
>      where I assumed to much or misguided new developers into advanced
>      details.  I very much want to avoid that.

I don't like them as the syntax I use is just lifted from other files,
and I'm not always sure what can/can't be done - I'm not confident in
there use. Also, I always end up referring to a makefile I made a while
ago to remind me how to do it.. that's my memory's fault :) Mine are
much the same as yours in regards to length

>   3) You are by no means the only one with a weakness in this area.
>      Let me just say that you are definitely in good company.  Again, I
>      have a question.  I once believed this was necessary for the
>      beginner to learn.  I tried to analyze why I had thought that.  It
>      appears that you may have thought the same.  What led you to
>      believe that?

I don't need to use it, as I'm surviving without it, but when you see
all major projects making use of the *auto system, you begin to realise
it must be useful to those projects (of course my personal pet projects
are nowhere near the same size of complexity). I think just knowing what
was going on would make me a happier person, because I don't like
blindly relying on things.

I really should google up some of this information.