$/!\$ Warning:
This GnomeGoal has been superseded by https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/GnomeGoals/ModernAutotools

GNOME Goal: Nicer Builds

Summary

Make building GNOME clearer by using automake1.11 AM_SILENT_RULES.

Dolt was suggested to faster compilation, but seems that libtool 2.2 is fast enough (see this thread or this bug report)

This new automake rule turns the usual messy output of autotools into a pretty Kbuild-like one. For example:

$ make
Making all in foo
Making all in internal
  CC    internal-file0.o
  LINK  libinternal.la
  CC    lib-file0.o
  CC    lib-file1.o
  LINK  libfoo.la

If you need to see the details, just run make V=1.

Guidelines

Only add

m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES],[AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])])

to your configure.{in,ac} and you get a pretty Kbuild-like output if you have automake1.11 installed. The macro is compatible with earlier automake versions too.

$/!\$ Note: The yes parameter must be passed to AM_SILENT_RULES or it will not have the desired effect.

Also, you can use $(AM_V_GEN) to make custom commands silent (instead $(QUIET_GEN)) . See an example in this evince bug or in this gnome-panel commit

Read this for details: http://www.flameeyes.eu/autotools-mythbuster/automake/silent.html

Comments before approval

Shave (a external tool to make clearer compilations) is used by GStreamer and others. Clutter and libunique use shave as fallback if AM_SILENT_RULES is not available. Dolt is used by webkit (combined with AM_SILENT_RULES). Switching to AM_SILENT_RULES/libtool 2.2 is encouraged.

VincentUntz: let's do it the right way and use gnome-common for this. See bug #580062 and bug #582955

JavierJardon: As pointed in bug #580062, automake1.11 has a feature that do the same as shave do.

JavierJardon: There already are automake1.11 packages for Debian and Ubuntu

ThomasAndersen: gnome-doc-utils bug #589278 and gtk-doc bug #590927 needs to be fixed before modules using them will become silent with AM_SILENT_RULES.

DamienLespiau: shave users, please, migrate to automake's silent rules, deep magic and relying on private autoconf variables can't be the way forward, shave is really deprecated.

Status of this goal

$/!\$ Note: Updated automatical stats can be found at http://www.gnome.org/~fpeters/reports/silent-rules.html

Tip: If you choose to work on a module, create the bug report on the GNOME bugzilla. This way people will know someone already works on it, and won't duplicate the work you're doing.

State	Markup
todo	`<: #ff8080> todo`
patch	`<: #ffc849> [[GnomeBug:xxxxx\|patch]]`
done	`<: #80ff80> [[GnomeBug:xxxxx\|done]]`
not needed	`<: #80ff80> not needed`

Above are the states and corresponding markup to update the modules state table below.

Tarball	Shave or AM_SILENT_RULES
Desktop
alacarte	done for AM_SILENT_RULES
brasero	AM_SILENT_RULES
bug-buddy	to do
cheese	AM_SILENT_RULES
dasher	to do
deskbar-applet	AM_SILENT_RULES
ekiga	done
empathy	done for AM_SILENT_RULES
eog	AM_SILENT_RULES
epiphany	AM_SILENT_RULES/libtool2.2
evince	AM_SILENT_RULES
evolution-data-server	AM_SILENT_RULES/libtool2.2
evolution	AM_SILENT_RULES/libtool2.2
evolution-exchange	AM_SILENT_RULES
evolution-mapi	AM_SILENT_RULES
evolution-webcal	to do
file-roller	AM_SILENT_RULES
gcalctool	AM_SILENT_RULES
gconf-editor	AM_SILENT_RULES
gdm	AM_SILENT_RULES
gedit	AM_SILENT_RULES and AM_V_GEN
gnome-applets	done for AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-backgrounds	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-control-center	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-desktop	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-desktop-sharp	to do
gnome-doc-utils	done
gnome-games	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-icon-theme	to do
gnome-keyring	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-netstatus	to do
gnome-nettool	to do
gnome-mag	to do
gnome-media	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-menus	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-panel	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-power-manager	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-python-desktop	to do
gnome-screensaver	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-session	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-settings-daemon	to do
gnome-sharp	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-speech	to do
gnome-system-monitor	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-system-tools	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-terminal	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-themes	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-user-docs	to do
gnome-user-share	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-utils	AM_SILENT_RULES
gok	AM_SILENT_RULES
gstreamer	shave
gst-plugins-base	shave
gst-plugins-good	shave
gtk-engines	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtkhtml	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtksourceview	AM_SILENT_RULES
gucharmap	AM_SILENT_RULES
gvfs	AM_SILENT_RULES
hamster-applet	AM_SILENT_RULES
libgail-gnome	to do
libgnomekbd	AM_SILENT_RULES
libgtop	to do
libgweather	AM_SILENT_RULES
liboobs	AM_SILENT_RULES
librsvg	AM_SILENT_RULES
libsoup	AM_SILENT_RULES
libwnck	AM_SILENT_RULES
metacity	done for AM_SILENT_RULES
mousetweaks	AM_SILENT_RULES
nautilus	AM_SILENT_RULES
orca	to do
pygtksourceview	to do
seahorse	AM_SILENT_RULES
sound-juicer	AM_SILENT_RULES
swfdec-gnome	to do
tomboy	to do
totem	AM_SILENT_RULES
totem-pl-parser	to do
vinagre	AM_SILENT_RULES
vino	AM_SILENT_RULES
vte	AM_SILENT_RULES
yelp	AM_SILENT_RULES
zenity	AM_SILENT_RULES
Platform
GConf	to do
at-spi	to do
atk	AM_SILENT_RULES
glib	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtk+	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtk-doc	AM_SILENT_RULES
pango	AM_SILENT_RULES
Admin
pessulus	AM_SILENT_RULES
sabayon	to do
Development Tools
accerciser	to do
anjuta	to do
devhelp	AM_SILENT_RULES
gdl	to do
glade3	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-devel-docs	to do
Bindings (C++)
glibmm	AM_SILENT_RULES
pangomm	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtkmm	AM_SILENT_RULES
libglademm	to do
gconfmm	to do
libgnomecanvasmm	to do
libgnome-vfsmm	to do
libgnomemm	to do
libgnomeuimm	to do
libxml++	to do
Bindings (java)
glib-java (jg-common)	to do
libgtk-java	to do
libgnome-java	to do
libgconf-java	to do
libglade-java	to do
Bindings (mono)
gtk-sharp	AM_SILENT_RULES
Bindings (perl)
Glib	not needed	Uses own mechanism
Gtk2	not needed
Gtk2-GladeXML	not needed
Gnome2-GConf	not needed
Gnome2-Canvas	not needed
Gnome2-VFS	not needed
Gnome2	not needed
Bindings (python)
pygobject	to do
pygtk	to do
pyorbit	to do
GnomePython	to do
Mobile
GConf (dbus-based)	to do
evolution-data-server (dbus-based)	to do
clutter-gst	AM_SILENT_RULES
External Dependencies
avahi	to do
cairo	to do
cairomm	to do
clutter	AM_SILENT_RULES (Shave as fallback)
clutter-cairo	to do
clutter-gtk	to do
conduit	to do
dbus	to do
dbus-glib	to do
dbus-python	to do
desktop-file-utils	to do
Devicekit-power	to do
enchant	to do
expat	to do
farsight2	to do
fontconfig	to do
gamin	to do
gnutls	to do
gpgme	to do
gtk-vnc	to do
hal	to do
hicolor-icon-theme	to do
icon-naming-utils	to do
intltool	to do
iso-codes	to do
libcanberra	to do
libcolorblind	to do
libcroco	to do
libgda	AM_SILENT_RULES
libgdata	AM_SILENT_RULES
libggz, ggz-client-libs	to do
libgpg-error	to do
libgcrypt	to do
libical	to do
libmapi	to do
libmusicbrainz	to do
libnotify	to do
liboil	to do
libproxy	to do
libtasn1	to do
libtelepathy	to do
libxklavier	to do
libxml2	to do
libxslt	to do
Mono.Addins	to do
mozilla (firefox)	to do
ndesk-dbus	to do
ndesk-dbus-glib	to do
opal	to do
pkg-config	to do
PolicyKit	to do
PolicyKit-gnome	to do
pulseaudio	AM_SILENT_RULES
poppler	to do
pycairo	to do
ptlib	to do
Python	to do
rarian	to do
shared-mime-info	to do
sqlite	to do
startup-notification	to do
swfdec	to do
system-tools-backends	to do
telepathy-glib	AM_SILENT_RULES
telepathy-mission-control	to do
unique	AM_SILENT_RULES (Shave as fallback)
webkit	AM_SILENT_RULES
Other
abiword	shave
anjal	AM_SILENT_RULES
atomix	AM_SILENT_RULES
balsa	AM_SILENT_RULES
banshee	to do
banter	to do
beagle	to do
contact-lookup-applet	to do
dia	to do
eggcups	to do
f-spot	to do
giggle	AM_SILENT_RULES
gimp	AM_SILENT_RULES
gitg	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-blog	to do
gnome-bluetooth	AM_SILENT_RULES
gnome-cups-manager	to do
gnome-main-menu	to do
gnome-mud	to do
GParted	to do
GNOME Phone Manager	AM_SILENT_RULES
Gnumeric	AM_SILENT_RULES
gossip	to do
gtetrinet	to do
gthumb	AM_SILENT_RULES
gtranslator	AM_SILENT_RULES
libbtctl	to do
libchamplain	AM_SILENT_RULES
libgnomekbd	to do
libgoffice	AM_SILENT_RULES
libgsf	AM_SILENT_RULES
liferea	AM_SILENT_RULES
modest	AM_SILENT_RULES
mutter	AM_SILENT_RULES
nautilus-sendto	AM_SILENT_RULES
nautilus-vcs	to do
nemiver	AM_SILENT_RULES
NetworkManager	AM_SILENT_RULES
OnTV	AM_SILENT_RULES
Planner	AM_SILENT_RULES
rhythmbox	AM_SILENT_RULES
tinymail	AM_SILENT_RULES
xchat-gnome	AM_SILENT_RULES