Error message for `cmake` could meet bar set by that for `ninja`

[pnkfelix]

I tried to build on a new machine. Got this message:

thread 'main' panicked at '

couldn't find required command: "cmake"

'

Which I'm used to.

I googled a bit, installed cmake, figured out how to get PATH set up, et cetera.

Then I built again. And got this:

Couldn't find required command: ninja (or ninja-build)

You should install ninja as described at
<https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/wiki/Pre-built-Ninja-packages>,
or set `ninja = false` in the `[llvm]` section of `config.toml`.
Alternatively, set `download-ci-llvm = true` in that `[llvm]` section
to download LLVM rather than building it.

I'm not sure, but: Isn't cmake solely necessary in our build for building LLVM? if that's the case, then shouldn't both the cmake failure and the ninja failure be providing the same level of feedback (namely, suggesting that one side-step building LLVM altogether as an alternative option to downloading and installing cmake)?

(Or is the assumption here that cmake will be used by so many crates, people should just bite bullet and install it? Even so, we could give better guidance up front about where to look for it.)

[jyn514]

@pnkfelix I don't think cmake intentionally has a worse error, it's just that a bunch of people building from source for the first time have been confused what ninja is and where to get it. If you made a PR improving the error for cmake I'd approve it :)

[jyn514]

@rustbot label: +E-easy

[b-NC]

@rustbot claim

[thatzopoulos]

Hello @InfRandomness, I'd like to claim this issue if you're interested in releasing it.

[b-NC]

Sorry about that 😀
Gave it a try but got sidetracked and wasn't really interested in doing it anymore

[thatzopoulos]

@rustbot claim