config/configure.py -> configure?

[Barry Smith]

On Jul 17, 2008, at 1:09 PM, Satish Balay wrote:

>
> And the reason we want to promote usage of ./config/bgp-ibm-opt.py
> notation is so that we we don't have users creating shell scripts with
> configure options in them.

    What is the proceedure that people use when configureing for  
packages
based on autoconf. Do they "create shell scripts with configure  
options in them"?
Do they always just magically type them at the command prompt properly?
Do they never use more than 1 or 2 options?

    If we could support the same way that this is done with autoconf  
packages
that would improve a users experience with PETSc.

>
>
> Satish
>
>
>> From: Barry Smith <bsmith at mcs.anl.gov>
>>
>>    petsc-dev folks,
>>
>>    is there any technical reason we cannot just change the name of
>> config/configure.py to configure?
>> (does Windows care about the .py and python in cygwin?)
>>
>>    is there any nontechnical reason we cannot/should not make the
>> change?
>>
>>    Barry
>>
>> My thinking is "the more like what people are use to, the less other
>> people have to learn/deal with,
>> the easier it is for people". Seems like a "little thing" but little
>> things accumulate into big things if you
>> don't eliminate as many little things as possible.
>>
>>
>