However I completely disagree that Python (or Perl or PHP) is a good choice for use in build systems.
As part of the configure process, I would agree with you, but as part of buildconf, I disagree--not everyone needs to run buildconf--only developers, and if you're a developer, it's *really* not asking that much to have Python on your dev box.
Sure it is. If I wasn't so busy I would have vetoed the change on the grounds that it causes httpd to no longer be buildable by developers on the Cray MP. And no, I don't care whether anyone else thinks that is an important requirement. Creating entry barriers is what prevents development on new platforms that you haven't even heard of yet.
Pay attention to keeping entry barriers low. This is a -really- important open source development principle that, by my observations, is under appreciated by most folks. That is my -single- biggest complaint about our use of libtool/autoconf. Let's not further complicate things further by propagating the languages required to do a build.
We haven't been using sh/sed/awk as our build platform because we thought those were good languages. I'm sorry, but being too busy to maintain the existing scripts is no excuse for rewriting them in a less portable language. As soon as someone has the time to write it in a portable language, the python should be removed.
+1
Bill
