Add autogen.sh for new developers

[drwilco]

For convenience, let's have all the autotools in a script.

[ArchangeGabriel]

I’m not an autotools expert (or even user in fact), the scripts are not from me. What is this supposed to do exactly? Replace this part of the process:
“If you are building from git, you first need to run autoreconf -fi to generate the configure script.”
?

If so, could you:

1. Explain the benefits (in the expanded commit message if possible);
2. Update your pull request to modify the README too;
3. Push it against the develop branch, not the master one.

Thanks!

[ArchangeGabriel]

Maybe @bluca could answer that too?

[bluca]

AFAIK it's very common practice to provide an autogen.sh when using autotools, as the one-stop-shop to initialise the build system. As you guessed, it basically replaces doing autoreconf -f -i, and it has the added benefit that if you need something else done, you just add it to the script and it's transparent for users.
For packagers it doesn't really matter, as in Debian and derivatives there's debhelpers to automate it (dh_autoreconf), but it's handy when doing native builds from upstream sources.

[ArchangeGabriel]

OK, nice to know. @drwilco Could you just rebase this against develop branch so that I can merge it?

[Lekensteyn]

It is doing the equivalent of autoreconf -fi which is also mentioned in the README. I am not sure if it is that useful (other opinions?)

[bluca]

👍 from me, personally I expect autotools-based projects to provide an autogen script
@drwilco - perhaps update the README too?

[ArchangeGabriel]

OK, I agree to merge this if the README is updated and the PR made against the develop branch.

[drwilco]

I totally missed the autoreconf line in the README. Hah.

I can make the autogen.sh just call that.

[ArchangeGabriel]

OK. So, please make a new PR against develop branch, add either autoreconf -fi or this PR content into the new autogen.sh file, and update the README for this. ;)

[ArchangeGabriel]

@drwilco If you don’t do it yourself by next saturday, I’ll end up doing it myself (crediting you in the commit message).