Re: [patch 3/3] 306-gary-treat-argz-m4-like-ltdl-m4.diff

[Gary V. Vaughan]

Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> Hi Gary,

Hallo Ralf,

Thanks for your patience.  I'm afraid that we are not yet understanding
each other... please bear with me:

> * Gary V. Vaughan wrote on Tue, Nov 01, 2005 at 01:02:17PM CET:
>
> > Ralf, I know you have reservations about this one, but I don't really
> > understand them.  Can you explain what it is you worry will go wrong
> > if this is applied?
>
>
> Surely.  libtoolize has just grown to include a lot of the functionality
> that the execution of (1.9.6)
>   aclocal
> or (CVS Automake, with AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR and ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS given)
>   aclocal --install
>
> provides.  Now while I don't mind a bit of overlapping functionality,
> I think it is quite suboptimal if `libtoolize --ltdl' disagrees with the
> decisions done by aclocal.

Agreed.

> aclocal knows that `gl_FUNC_ARGZ' is not instantiated (in this package!
> not the `libltdl' subpackage!), and thus it sees no need to either (same
> distinction as above)
>   copy its contents into `aclocal.m4'
> or
>   install the file into the `AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR'.
>
> If the macro dir in the second case is shared with the libltdl
> subproject, in the second case libtoolize won't warn.

Do we really need a warning that the top-level configure.ac doesn't
require argz.m4?  When we libtoolize the libltdl directory it will
get copied in at that time anyway.

>  In the first, it
> will warn in any case.  And only because `aclocal' is smarter than
> libtoolize!

Hmm... what is this warning?  I think I'm misunderstanding you still.

> > Regardless of whether we apply this patch, I
> > think it is important that we treat ltdl.m4 and argz.m4 the same, as
> > they both apply in the same circumstances... ltdl.m4 requires argz.m4,
> > and is useless without it; libtool.m4 doesn't use ltdl.m4 or argz.m4
> > so it makes sense not to copy either of them if they are not used by
> > the calling project (libtoolize is not called with --ltdl)...
>
>
> Not all the world is libtoolize.  Judge for yourself whether a bogus
> warning too much or the possibility of a missed warning are worse.
> And that should answer your question:

More food for thought:

 i)   aclocal is scheduled for termination when m4 allows autoconf to
      find its own macros.
 ii)  all the world is not aclocal! ;-) People who don't use automake,
      and thus hand maintain aclocal.m4 need all the help they can get.
 iii) blindly copying all of our macros directly into
      AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR seems wrong.

> > Index: libtool--devo--1.0/ChangeLog
> > from  Gary V. Vaughan  <address@hidden>
> >         * libtoolize.m4sh: Handle argz.m4 specially like ltdl.m4, so
> >         that it isn't copied unless libltdl is being used.  Copy other
> >         macro files according to their tagged serial numbers.
> >         * tests/libtoolize.at: Adjust.

Cheers,
        Gary.

/me heads off for a strong coffee in the hope more synapses will start
    firing RSN...
--
Gary V. Vaughan      ())_.  address@hidden,gnu.org}
Research Scientist   ( '/   http://tkd.kicks-ass.net
GNU Hacker           / )=   http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool
Technical Author   `(_~)_   http://sources.redhat.com/autobook

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