mesonbuild/meson

Prioritize clang ObjC compiler over gobjc

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#6,222 opened on Nov 22, 2019

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good first issuehelp wanted

Description

Currently meson prefers the GNU ObjC compiler if both it and the clang one are available. This is a bit suboptimal as gobjc doesn't support ARC for example, and is generally left behind a decade or more in terms of ObjC features.

On macOS systems where both are installed you will likely not be able to compile anything using system APIs with gobjc.

In addition it might also be helpful to add some feature checks for ObjC compilers, e.g. if ARC or blocks are properly supported.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpython
Domain
build systemtoolingdeveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Familiarity with Meson build systemUnderstanding of compiler detection logicBasic knowledge of Objective C compilers
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Examine the compiler detection logic in mesonbuild/compilers/ directory, specifically how the order of compilers is defined for Objective C. The issue suggests swapping the priority so that clang is preferred over gobjc. Also consider implementing feature checks for ARC and blocks support using compiler flags.