Re: Current CVS doesn't bootstrap

[Luc Teirlinck]

Andreas Schwab wrote:

   Alternatively, we could implement an option that tells load to ignore
   *.elc files that are out of date and load the *.el file instead.

This would actually be a change that would be far more drastic and
general than the two alternatives.  Its effect would not be limited to
bootstrapping.

I believe we discussed this before and the reasons for not doing so
still remain valid.  If I make changes to a .el file, then at a given
moment I have to save these to disk.  But that does not mean that the
file is ready for use.  It only is when I compile and take a look at
what the compiler has to say.

Also, it could lead to a slowdown in the functions in the file, which
might be confusing to the user, who might not know that the .el file
is being used.

Moreover, if a .el file is newer than the .elc file, then I _believe_
that the present version of make bootstrap _already_ recompiles
anyway.  (It is a long time ago that I did a `make bootstrap' without
a prior `make maintainer-clean', however.) 

I believe that your proposed solution would not help with some of the
most common problems that arise with the current version of `make
bootstrap' (without prior `make maintainer-clean').  One of these is
changes in byte compilation.

Another problem (that can lead to very confusing results) is if you
make changes to a bunch of files, revert the changes and forget to
manually recompile some of the reverted files.  Now the out of date
.elc files are _newer_ than the source files and thus are not out of
date in as far as the computer is concerned.

Sincerely,

Luc.