diff --git a/Lib/distutils/ccompiler.py b/Lib/distutils/ccompiler.py
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+++ b/Lib/distutils/ccompiler.py
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+"""distutils.ccompiler
+
+Contains CCompiler, an abstract base class that defines the interface
+for the Distutils compiler abstraction model."""
+
+# created 1999/07/05, Greg Ward
+
+__rcsid__ = "$Id$"
+
+import os
+from types import *
+from copy import copy
+from distutils.errors import *
+
+
+class CCompiler:
+    """Abstract base class to define the interface that must be implemented
+       by real compiler abstraction classes.  Might have some use as a
+       place for shared code, but it's not yet clear what code can be
+       shared between compiler abstraction models for different platforms.
+
+       The basic idea behind a compiler abstraction class is that each
+       instance can be used for all the compile/link steps in building
+       a single project.  Thus, attributes common to all of those compile
+       and link steps -- include directories, macros to define, libraries
+       to link against, etc. -- are attributes of the compiler instance.
+       To allow for variability in how individual files are treated,
+       most (all?) of those attributes may be varied on a per-compilation
+       or per-link basis."""
+
+
+    # XXX things not handled by this compiler abstraction model:
+    #   * client can't provide additional options for a compiler,
+    #     e.g. warning, optimization, debugging flags.  Perhaps this
+    #     should be the domain of concrete compiler abstraction classes
+    #     (UnixCCompiler, MSVCCompiler, etc.) -- or perhaps the base
+    #     class should have methods for the common ones.
+    #   * can't put output files (object files, libraries, whatever)
+    #     into a separate directory from their inputs.  Should this be
+    #     handled by an 'output_dir' attribute of the whole object, or a
+    #     parameter to the compile/link_* methods, or both?
+    #   * can't completely override the include or library searchg
+    #     path, ie. no "cc -I -Idir1 -Idir2" or "cc -L -Ldir1 -Ldir2".
+    #     I'm not sure how widely supported this is even by POSIX
+    #     compilers, much less on other platforms.  And I'm even less
+    #     sure how useful it is; probably for cross-compiling, but I
+    #     have no intention of supporting that.
+    #   * can't do really freaky things with the library list/library
+    #     dirs, e.g. "-Ldir1 -lfoo -Ldir2 -lfoo" to link against
+    #     different versions of libfoo.a in different locations.  I
+    #     think this is useless without the ability to null out the
+    #     library search path anyways.
+    #   * don't deal with verbose and dry-run flags -- probably a
+    #     CCompiler object should just drag them around the way the
+    #     Distribution object does (either that or we have to drag
+    #     around a Distribution object, which is what Command objects
+    #     do... but might be kind of annoying)
+    
+
+    def __init__ (self):
+
+        # 'macros': a list of macro definitions (or undefinitions).  A
+        # macro definition is a 2-tuple (name, value), where the value is
+        # either a string or None (no explicit value).  A macro
+        # undefinition is a 1-tuple (name,).
+        self.macros = []
+
+
+        # 'include_dirs': a list of directories to search for include files
+        self.include_dirs = []
+
+        # 'libraries': a list of libraries to include in any link
+        # (library names, not filenames: eg. "foo" not "libfoo.a")
+        self.libraries = []
+
+        # 'library_dirs': a list of directories to search for libraries
+        self.library_dirs = []
+
+        # 'objects': a list of object files (or similar, such as explicitly
+        # named library files) to include on any link
+        self.objects = []
+
+    # __init__ ()
+
+
+    def _find_macro (self, name):
+        i = 0
+        for defn in self.macros:
+            if defn[0] == name:
+                return i
+            i = i + 1
+
+        return None
+
+
+    def _check_macro_definitions (self, definitions):
+        """Ensures that every element of 'definitions' is a valid macro
+           definition, ie. either (name,value) 2-tuple or a (name,)
+           tuple.  Do nothing if all definitions are OK, raise 
+           TypeError otherwise."""
+
+        for defn in definitions:
+            if not (type (defn) is TupleType and
+                    (len (defn) == 1 or
+                     (len (defn) == 2 and
+                      (type (defn[1]) is StringType or defn[1] is None))) and
+                    type (defn[0]) is StringType):
+                raise TypeError, \
+                      ("invalid macro definition '%s': " % defn) + \
+                      "must be tuple (string,), (string, string), or " + \
+                      "(string, None)"
+
+
+    # -- Bookkeeping methods -------------------------------------------
+
+    def define_macro (self, name, value=None):
+        """Define a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by
+           this compiler object.  The optional parameter 'value' should be
+           a string; if it is not supplied, then the macro will be defined
+           without an explicit value and the exact outcome depends on the
+           compiler used (XXX true? does ANSI say anything about this?)"""
+
+        # Delete from the list of macro definitions/undefinitions if
+        # already there (so that this one will take precedence).
+        i = self._find_macro (name)
+        if i is not None:
+            del self.macros[i]
+
+        defn = (name, value)
+        self.macros.append (defn)
+
+
+    def undefine_macro (self, name):
+        """Undefine a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by
+           this compiler object.  If the same macro is defined by
+           'define_macro()' and undefined by 'undefine_macro()' the last
+           call takes precedence (including multiple redefinitions or
+           undefinitions).  If the macro is redefined/undefined on a
+           per-compilation basis (ie. in the call to 'compile()'), then
+           that takes precedence."""
+
+        # Delete from the list of macro definitions/undefinitions if
+        # already there (so that this one will take precedence).
+        i = self._find_macro (name)
+        if i is not None:
+            del self.macros[i]
+
+        undefn = (name,)
+        self.macros.append (undefn)
+
+
+    def add_include_dir (self, dir):
+        """Add 'dir' to the list of directories that will be searched
+           for header files.  The compiler is instructed to search
+           directories in the order in which they are supplied by
+           successive calls to 'add_include_dir()'."""
+        self.include_dirs.append (dir)
+
+    def set_include_dirs (self, dirs):
+        """Set the list of directories that will be searched to 'dirs'
+           (a list of strings).  Overrides any preceding calls to
+           'add_include_dir()'; subsequence calls to 'add_include_dir()'
+           add to the list passed to 'set_include_dirs()'.  This does
+           not affect any list of standard include directories that
+           the compiler may search by default."""
+        self.include_dirs = copy (dirs)
+
+
+    def add_library (self, libname):
+        """Add 'libname' to the list of libraries that will be included
+           in all links driven by this compiler object.  Note that
+           'libname' should *not* be the name of a file containing a
+           library, but the name of the library itself: the actual filename
+           will be inferred by the linker, the compiler, or the compiler
+           abstraction class (depending on the platform).
+
+           The linker will be instructed to link against libraries in the
+           order they were supplied to 'add_library()' and/or
+           'set_libraries()'.  It is perfectly valid to duplicate library
+           names; the linker will be instructed to link against libraries
+           as many times as they are mentioned."""
+        self.libraries.append (libname)
+
+    def set_libraries (self, libnames):
+        """Set the list of libraries to be included in all links driven
+           by this compiler object to 'libnames' (a list of strings).
+           This does not affect any standard system libraries that the
+           linker may include by default."""
+
+        self.libraries = copy (libnames)
+
+
+    def add_library_dir (self, dir):
+        """Add 'dir' to the list of directories that will be searched for
+           libraries specified to 'add_library()' and 'set_libraries()'.
+           The linker will be instructed to search for libraries in the
+           order they are supplied to 'add_library_dir()' and/or
+           'set_library_dirs()'."""
+        self.library_dirs.append (dir)
+
+    def set_library_dirs (self, dirs):
+        """Set the list of library search directories to 'dirs' (a list
+           of strings).  This does not affect any standard library
+           search path that the linker may search by default."""
+        self.library_dirs = copy (dirs)
+
+
+    def add_link_object (self, object):
+        """Add 'object' to the list of object files (or analogues, such
+           as explictly named library files or the output of "resource
+           compilers") to be included in every link driven by this
+           compiler object."""
+        self.objects.append (object)
+
+    def set_link_objects (self, objects):
+        """Set the list of object files (or analogues) to be included
+           in every link to 'objects'.  This does not affect any
+           standard object files that the linker may include by default
+           (such as system libraries)."""
+        self.objects = copy (objects)
+
+
+    # -- Worker methods ------------------------------------------------
+    # (must be implemented by subclasses)
+
+    def compile (self,
+                 sources,
+                 macros=None,
+                 includes=None):
+        """Compile one or more C/C++ source files.  'sources' must be
+           a list of strings, each one the name of a C/C++ source
+           file.  Return a list of the object filenames generated
+           (one for each source filename in 'sources').
+
+           'macros', if given, must be a list of macro definitions.  A
+           macro definition is either a (name, value) 2-tuple or a (name,)
+           1-tuple.  The former defines a macro; if the value is None, the
+           macro is defined without an explicit value.  The 1-tuple case
+           undefines a macro.  Later definitions/redefinitions/
+           undefinitions take precedence.
+
+           'includes', if given, must be a list of strings, the directories
+           to add to the default include file search path for this
+           compilation only."""
+        pass
+
+
+    # XXX this is kind of useless without 'link_binary()' or
+    # 'link_executable()' or something -- or maybe 'link_static_lib()'
+    # should not exist at all, and we just have 'link_binary()'?
+    def link_static_lib (self,
+                         objects,
+                         output_libname,
+                         libraries=None,
+                         library_dirs=None):
+        """Link a bunch of stuff together to create a static library
+           file.  The "bunch of stuff" consists of the list of object
+           files supplied as 'objects', the extra object files supplied
+           to 'add_link_object()' and/or 'set_link_objects()', the
+           libraries supplied to 'add_library()' and/or
+           'set_libraries()', and the libraries supplied as 'libraries'
+           (if any).
+
+           'output_libname' should be a library name, not a filename;
+           the filename will be inferred from the library name.
+
+           'library_dirs', if supplied, should be a list of additional
+           directories to search on top of the system default and those
+           supplied to 'add_library_dir()' and/or 'set_library_dirs()'."""
+
+        pass
+    
+
+    # XXX what's better/more consistent/more universally understood
+    # terminology: "shared library" or "dynamic library"?
+
+    def link_shared_lib (self,
+                         objects,
+                         output_libname,
+                         libraries=None,
+                         library_dirs=None):
+        """Link a bunch of stuff together to create a shared library
+           file.  Has the same effect as 'link_static_lib()' except
+           that the filename inferred from 'output_libname' will most
+           likely be different, and the type of file generated will
+           almost certainly be different."""
+        pass
+    
+    def link_shared_object (self,
+                            objects,
+                            output_filename,
+                            libraries=None,
+                            library_dirs=None):
+        """Link a bunch of stuff together to create a shared object
+           file.  Much like 'link_shared_lib()', except the output
+           filename is explicitly supplied as 'output_filename'."""
+        pass
+
+# class CCompiler
+
+
+def new_compiler (plat=None):
+    """Generate a CCompiler instance for platform 'plat' (or the
+       current platform, if 'plat' not supplied).  Really instantiates
+       some concrete subclass of CCompiler, of course."""
+
+    if plat is None: plat = os.name
+    if plat == 'posix':
+        from unixccompiler import UnixCCompiler
+        return UnixCCompiler ()
+    else:
+        raise DistutilsPlatformError, \
+              "don't know how to compile C/C++ code on platform %s" % plat