Re: Two problems for autoconf(1.NEC SX 2.Cray)

[Paul Eggert]

> From: Len Makin <address@hidden>
> Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 15:31:26 +1100
> 
>   Len> The compiler cc has a valid debugging option -g, but configure 
>   Len> (autoconf/aclocal macro?) compile test sees the warning:
>   Len> cc: warning: -g overrides '-h 1','-h vector'
>   Len> and concludes
>   [..]
>   Len> checking whether cc accepts -g... no

In this case it appears to me that configure is doing the right thing.
If -g changes the semantics of the compiler, then a default build should
not use -g.

> Some non GNU software correctly does a test of the exit status of the command
> rather than testing for non-null output, and comes to the correct conclusion
> (for our machine;-).checking whether cc accepts -g... yes....
> Should meld this into AC_PROG_CC. But is this a robust test
> for other compilers? YMMV.

Unfortunately not.  Some brain damaged compilers return an exit status
of zero even when the compilation has failed.  (Also, some installers
complain when they get a lot of silly compiler warnings like the one
mentioned above.  :-)

> there is no environment variable specification allowed for sed.

Yes there is: you can set PATH so that the 'sed' you want is first in
the path.

I assume that the other issues in your message are not Autoconf issues
per se, but are issues with the particular package you were talking
about earlier (sorry, I don't know what it is).  Autoconf doesn't use
/bin/nm, for example, so the /bin/nm part of your message is not
relevant for Autoconf itself.