Minor revisions (#4)

* Expand/correct Windows section
* Shorten URLs
* Minor grammar fixups
* Add a couple of rewording possibilities as comments

peps/pep-0755.rst

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 PEP: 755
 Title: Status quo of the CPython 3.12 build system
 Author: Erlend Egeberg Aasland <erlend@python.org>,
-        Zachary Ware <zachary.ware@gmail.com>
+        Zachary Ware <zach@python.org>
 Status: Draft
 Type: Informational
 Content-Type: text/x-rst
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ Abstract
 ========
 
 This PEP describes the pains core developers have with the CPython build system,
-and their desired goals and wishes for the future CPython build system.
+and their desired goals and wishes for its future.
+
 
 
 Motivation
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ Motivation
 The current build system has been criticized by contributors and core
 developers, and the idea of replacing it surfaces every now and then.
 If we are to make large scale changes to the current build system,
-we need to know more about its pros and cons.
+we need to be sure we know what we're getting into.
 
 This PEP intends to document the current build system;
 how is it perceived by contributors and core developers,
@@ -36,21 +37,17 @@ system.
 Poll Results
 ============
 
-`June 20, 2023
-<https://discuss.python.org/t/what-do-you-want-to-see-in-tomorrow-s-cpython-build-system/28197>`__,
-we asked:
+`June 20, 2023 <https://discuss.python.org/t/28197>`__, we asked:
 
    Hypothetically, if we had to recreate the build process from just the
    available code today, which qualities and features would we want to see in
    tomorrow’s new build system?
 
-`August 17, 2023
-<https://discuss.python.org/t/what-do-you-consider-pain-points-of-todays-build-system/31815>`__,
-we asked:
+`August 17, 2023 <https://discuss.python.org/t/31815>`__, we asked:
 
    [...] what do you consider pain points of todays build system?
 
-The desire of a unified build system was mentioned several times.
+The desire for a unified build system was mentioned several times.
 This need was accompanied by the pain point that we currently have _two_ build
 systems:
 
@@ -62,10 +59,10 @@ Windows developers often find the GNU build system incomprehensible;
 \*nix developers find the Windows build system incomprehensible.
 Many developers simply avoid the build system completely.
 
-Also mentioned multiple times, was the desire of correct incremental builds.
+Also mentioned multiple times was the desire for correct incremental builds.
 This need was accompanied by the observation that today's build system
 does _not_ guarantee this.
-Related, was the desire of fast incremental builds and deterministic builds.
+Related was the desire for fast incremental builds and deterministic builds.
 The latter is not guaranteed by the current build system.
 Deterministic builds imply the ability to easily constrain dependencies,
 a need that was also mentioned.
@@ -94,7 +91,7 @@ with making and reviewing changes to it, in years to come.
 This implies some needs:
 
 * good quality documentation
-* support, for example in form of an active community
+* support, for example in the form of an active community
 * a build system that is being actively developed
 
 
@@ -108,13 +105,13 @@ GNU Autoconf and Make
 the GNU Autoconf/Make build system.
 GNU Autoconf is based on the M4 macro language;
 it takes care of the configure step,
-which implies detecting 3rd party dependencies,
+which includes detecting 3rd party dependencies,
 compiler and linker traits, platform specifics, etc.
 It also provides a command-line interface so the user can
 enable and disable various features.
 
 At the end of the configure step, the :file:`pyconfig.h` header file
-and the Makefile is generated.
+and the Makefile are generated.
 The Makefile file contains a set of hand-written targets and build dependencies,
 and takes care of the build and test use cases.
 Keeping the Makefile compatible with both BSD and GNU Make is a pain point.
@@ -128,9 +125,13 @@ and it has few active core developers.
 The Windows Build System
 ------------------------
 
-The Windows build consists of a collection of :file:`.xml` and :file:`.bat`
-files that was originally generated using VSCode,
-and are now manually updated whenever needed.
+The Windows build consists of a collection of :file:`.vcxproj` and
+:file:`.proj` XML files used by the MSBuild tool to
+generate binaries and perform some other file generation tasks, and a
+series of :file:`.bat` files to prepare the environment, drive MSBuild,
+and perform other tasks such as running tests.  The XML files were
+originally generated by Visual Studio, but have been extensively modified
+or rewritten by hand, and are now maintained manually.
 
 
 Use Cases
@@ -147,9 +148,9 @@ as mentioned in the poll responses, that the build system is fast.
 Currently, the CI is implemented using GitHub Actions,
 so for convenience, the build system should be supported by all GitHub runners.
 
-For core developers, a common use cases are _reconfigure_ and _rebuild_;
-this was reflected in the poll responses:
-we want fast and correct incremental builds.
+For core developers, a common use case is _reconfigure_ and _rebuild_:
+this was reflected in the poll responses
+desiring fast and correct incremental builds.
 
 
 Build Issues in the Bug Tracker