[m-dev.] Infix syntax proposal

[Fergus Henderson]

On 15-Aug-2002, Michael Day <mikeday at yeslogic.com> wrote:
> 
> > You can use mmc --make in conjunction with mmake,
> > by passing the --use-mmc-make option to mmake.
> 
> That's very confusing.
> 
> Can you tell me what the relationship is between mmake and mmc --make?  

Normally (i.e. without --use-mmc-make), there is no direct relationship.
That they perform similar functions, and they use similar syntax
and variable names for their configuration files, but that's about it.
Mmake doesn't call `mmc --make' and `mmc --make' doesn't use Mmake.

With --use-mmc-make, Mmake will use `mmc --make' to build Mercury targets.
Rules in your Mmakefile can be used to build other targets, such as
Mercury source files generated from preprocessors.

Basically the aim of the --use-mmc-make option to Mmake is to provide
the benefits of `mmc --make', such as not needing to explicitly make
the dependencies as a separate step, while keeping your existing
Mmakefiles.

> When all the Mercury specific processing stuff is handled by mmc itself,
> will it be necessary to use mmake at all?  Or go back to normal Makefiles?

It should be possible to use normal Makefiles.

However, currently Mmake still has some advantages over mmc --make;
in particular, it supports parallel makes.  And Mmake is shipped
with the Mercury implementation.  So I would advise you to continue
using Mmakefiles, at least for now.

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
The University of Melbourne         |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
mercury-developers mailing list
Post messages to:       mercury-developers at cs.mu.oz.au
Administrative Queries: owner-mercury-developers at cs.mu.oz.au
Subscriptions:          mercury-developers-request at cs.mu.oz.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------------