Re: [bug-gettext] [patch] when doing --version, other options are not useful

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Benno,

You wrote in
<https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gettext/2015-06/msg00000.html>:

> In gettext-runtime/po/Makefile.in.in a 'msgmerge --update --version'
> is done.  I think the --update option should not be there, simply
> because it's unneeded, but also because it could cause the call to
> fail when msgmerge is from before 2001.  Attached patch removes
> the option.

The option --update is unneeded, yes. But there is another difference
between $(MSGMERGE) and $(MSGMERGE_UPDATE): These variables are defined as

MSGMERGE = msgmerge
MSGMERGE_UPDATE = @MSGMERGE@ --update

where @MSGMERGE@ uses the value determined by po.m4 through

  dnl Search for GNU msgmerge 0.11 or newer in the PATH.
  AM_PATH_PROG_WITH_TEST(MSGMERGE, msgmerge,
    [$ac_dir/$ac_word --update -q /dev/null /dev/null >&]AS_MESSAGE_LOG_FD[ 
2>&1], :)

So:
1) @MSGMERGE@ is always a GNU msgmerge version >= 0.11, and thus
   from 2002 or newer.
2) Worse: a regression. If the user has in their $PATH first an old
   msgmerge (< 0.11) and then a newer, usable msgmerge,
     $(MSGMERGE)          will reference the old one
     $(MSGMERGE_UPDATE)   will reference the newer one
   and thus by testing '$(MSGMERGE) --version' the code is now testing
   the version of the wrong msgmerge program.

I'll revert the patch.

Bruno