Jean Huot wrote:
> I've downloaded my Lynx source program from:
> http://lynx.isc.org/release
>
> I seem to have the correct libraries for inet_addr in:  usr/lib/libsocket.a and
> /SYSLOG/PUB/libsyslog.a though it still cannot find inet_addr.    As I understand
> this library is essential to the compile.

What happens if you download my version of lynx 2.8.3 and then try to configure
it by running the configure.mpe script?

http://www.bixby.org/ftp/pub/mpe/lynx2-8-3-mpe.tar.Z

It will configure cleanly on my machine and will find that troublesome
inet_addr.

> I find it a straineous exercise for a first Posix compile.  I was under the
> impression that once I ported one Unix program and have a complete set of
> libraries  then I could easily succeed  with other programs by following a
> template (squeleton) of instructions.  The wealth of Unix programs available
> on the internet makes it worth a try.

This is all mostly true.

The first package you port will always be the hardest.  The more packages you
port, the easier it gets.  You're starting with a GNU autoconf-based package,
which is good.  Many Unix packages use autoconf.  Once you've learned all the
tricks that autoconf requires on MPE, porting future autoconf-based packages
becomes very, very easy.

But not everything uses autoconf.  Some packages like Perl use their own
specialized configuration scripts.  Other packages require you to manually edit
various source files.  But these non-autoconf packages have their standard list
of tricks that you'll be able to learn over time.

> If nothing else, it makes us appreciate the effort that Mark Bixby, Mark Klein, T.E. > Dickey, Lars Appel  and others have spent in compiling the freeware on the HP3000 Sources > and Binaries site.  Obviously, I would not go very far without your help.

All of us learned by doing.  We all struggled through our first couple of
ports.  It just takes practice, practice, practice, and then suddenly one day
you can do an entire new port just from memory alone.

> I hope this exercise can benefit others.  As Donna Garverick said, maybe this
> exercise should be left for the gurus only.

Not at all!  Anybody can do this.

The only reason we're "gurus" is because we've been doing porting for several
years now (in my case, about 3.5 years).

Just remember that all of the "gurus" were beginners once upon a time.  :-)

- Mark B.