Re: [bug #31646] grep fails to build on Solaris 10, because it lacks grep

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Jim,

> The proposed patch is solely clean-up on the gnulib side.
> As the subject implies, initially I thought this was the solution
> to the grep-configure problem.

As a pure clean-up patch, it is OK. But you confused me completely
by proposing it under the subject "grep fails to build on Solaris 10" and
with a ChangeLog entry that suggests that it is related to Florin Iucha's
bug report. In fact, it is unrelated.

> > and the one of AC_PROG_EGREP starts with
> >
> >   if test -z "$EGREP"; then
> 
> Thanks.  I saw those, but you still need a grep-like program
> that does not invoke "grep".
> ...
> > exec grep "$@"
> 
> But with no grep program already installed, that will always fail.

In the situation of the bug reporter, he most likely has /usr/bin/grep
but not /usr/xpg4/bin/grep. I don't think any Solaris systems can be
installed without a /usr/bin/grep. But it can be installed without the
/usr/xpg4 add-on.

The point is that AC_PROG_EGREP, when it checks for a working 'grep' command,
rejects /usr/bin/grep because it does not support the '-e' option. But when
the EGREP variable is already set, AC_PROG_EGREP does not perform any checks,
so it won't reject 'sh dummygrep'.

Bruno