Re: OpenWatcom support

[Paul Eggert]

> Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 13:49:39 +0100
> From: John Poltorak <address@hidden>
> 
> By POSIX compatible do include command line switches.

Yes, Autoconf assumes command-line switches that conform to POSIX.
cc is a special case, though, since POSIX doesn't specify its syntax.
However, POSIX does specify the syntax of the 'c99' (or 'c89' for
older POSIX versions) command, and this should work with Autoconf.

> Watcom C requires an equals sign, ie. -fo=foo.o, -fo foo.o won't work.
> Also, command line arguments are case-insensitive so there is no way to 
> distinguish between -o and -O.

I understand that Watcom C provides a wrapper that emulates "cc".
I'd use that wrapper, and avoid using the wcc386 command directly.

> Would it be possible to get round these restrictions with a CONFIG.SITE 
> file or would a compiler specific M4 file be required?

I don't know.  But I wouldn't bother heading that direction.  Just
build yourself a command called "cc" that works as expected.  This
will save you a lot of hassle, both with Autoconf and with other
tools.

> Is Autoconf designed for including compiler specific options? ie does 
> anyone use it with anything other than gcc?

Yes, people use it with non-gcc compilers all the time.  It works fine.