Overview

The OME CMake Super-Build provides a framework for building a selection of OME C++ software components, and optionally their dependencies. This is intended to allow building of the entire collection with a minimum of difficulty using any common operating system, to provide an integrated collection of binary-compatible libraries and tools. The super-build currently targets UNIX-like systems (FreeBSD, Linux, MacOS X) and Microsoft Windows.

Windows systems in particular make building software difficult, due to the lack of support for obtaining copies of library dependencies built for the specific C++ runtime required. The super-build ensures that all the libraries and programs built use the same runtime, as well as the same compiler options, to ensure that all the libraries and programs are compatible.

When building for a system which includes a package manager with a comprehensive set of packages, it may be desirable to disable building of third-party dependencies which are already provided by the package manager. This is supported. When building for older distributions, where the base platform has outdated or missing dependencies, the super-build can be used to create a self-contained set of newer libraries which will not conflict with the base platform. However, if a package both exists on the system and is built by the super-build, it could result in a mismatching set of headers and libraries being used, which might cause obscure failures when compiling, linking or running. It is advisable to use one or the other. Ensure that the system does not have any conflicting development packages installed to guarantee that only the headers provided by packages in the super-build are used, or disable the building of these packages by the super-build to force the system copy to be used.

The super-build can not provide every dependency. Some very large and complex packages are required to be installed using a package manager or by hand when it is simply not practical to include them, for example TeX Live or Qt5.

The super-build is entirely optional. The individual packages may be built completely by hand if desired. The super-build provides convenience and consistency across all the platforms it supports.