[tlbuild] CMake

[Karl Berry]

    np> So as much as I would like to see a more simple build system, 

Building TL will never, ever, be simple.

Our biggest problem is that we create binaries meant to be widely
distributed and used on lots of old systems. This goes against the grain
of the rest of the free software world, which, almost invariably, have
packages releasing sources; then distros and other such packagers put
together the binaries, which are meant to run only on specific
os/hardware combinations. Thus, we have to deal with the latest sources
on the oldest systems -> ugliness all around.

    mm> I'm still waiting for the answer about what the real limitations are.

I don't have a technical list (despite my previous implication,
sorry). I had never heard of meson before now, and my tiny bit of
experience with cmake, as a user, has been entirely negative.

Despite my ignorance, nothing in your mail or in what I've read makes me
think that changing is a good idea.  What I know for sure is that an
awful lot of time has been invested in the current setup. I just have a
failure of imagination as to how the current setup, with all its options
(which are there for a reason, so need to be available) could be
supported in cmake or meson or anything else.

The bottom line for me is that if there is any impetus to switch, the
work will have to be done by someone other than me, and I will no longer
work on configuration. I just can't do it. --best, karl.