World: r3wp

True, but as far as I know, there's currently only one source configuration 
for Linux, and you can always supply manual hints for subversions 
when necessary. In any case, there are also ways to detect such subversions

Maybe I should say sub-types

It's better for the config to be higher level in the master build 
tables which are defined in REBOL.  Those tables define more than 
just GCC compile time symbols, but also code/data within the boot 
scripts used by the interpreter.

That is, top down.

Well, there are detections available at that level, as well, such 
as the uname command on Unixy systems

This is the old debate of table-based configuration systems versus 
detection-based configuration systems. I understand that tables are 
less work at first, and so that's what everyone did in the old days, 
but exactly because environments are so complex these days, most 
people have moved to automatic detection

In my experience of porting software to more or less deviating platforms, 
table-driven systems are harder to work with than ones with proper 
detections

The goal of the current R3 build automation method is to save my 
time.


Currently, the platform table is only ~10 lines of REBOL, so it is 
difficult to beat using any other method.  And, even with the detection 
approach you mention, you need still tables.


However, that being said, if you want to create and test such a detection-based 
method and confirm it works over a range of OSes I would be happy 
to use it!  It must handle Linux, Syllable, BSD, OS X, Solaris, Windows, 
AmigaOS, Haiku, QNX, and various others, and also work for systems 
ten years old or more.

I'm open to any idea like this... as long as it saves *me* time.

I can't test it myself on most of those systems, but I'll keep the 
idea in mind when digging further into the host kit. There are a 
few well known configuration systems that are much too bloated to 
use, but that are good sources to collect the tests needed on systems 
that I don't have

It's currently not a big deal, but it would be nice to eliminate 
the manual configuration requirement

Right now, the manual configuration doesn't take much time, because 
we're building only /core and /libr3... and for posix model.  Once 
more features are added, like graphics and sound, or specific OS 
support (e.g. like what Solie is doing) then we'll need to revisit 
it.

BTW, here is an example of the entire config used for 4.2 (Linux):
	[0.4.2 "linux"   posix    [LDL] [CO1 F64 HID NPS] [ST1]]

LibDL... what do the others mean?

-O1, 64 bit files, vis=hidden, no-ptr-sign, strip result

I've started to use git, I downloaded the A110 yesterday... yay!

(user moliad on github)