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


From: Len Makin
Subject: Re: Two problems for autoconf(1.NEC SX 2.Cray)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 16:56:24 +1100

Problem 1:
On Friday, 22 February 2002, at 10:30,
Paul Eggert <address@hidden> wrote:
> That's fine, and you can certainly talk us into further improvements
> here, but we need something that continues to work with those
> brain-damaged compilers (as well as with the Cray compiler, which is
> merely irritating).  Simply checking the compiler's exit status isn't
> enough, unfortunately.
OK, it was just a suggestion.  Minor point. Just wanted the configure to
get it right in one more case. As I said, some packages configure and get
this right. Why not autoconf?
What about something like if or case to check
# Check for NEC SX compiler
if cc -c -V 2>&1 | grep '/SX' > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
# action for NEC
else
# all the rest
fi
        
NOTE:   - it was NEC SX-5 cc, not Cray.

Problem 2: This time for Cray.
On Friday, 22 February 2002, at 10:30,
Paul Eggert <address@hidden> wrote:
> > > A better fix in this case is to fix your package's aclocal.m4 or
> > > whatever so that it uses only portable sed commands.  But if you can't
> > > do that for some reason, you can work around the glitch by setting
> > > PATH.
> > 
> > Also agreed. Though it does take the meaning out of "auto".
> 
> Unfortunately Autoconf cannot automate everything.  :-)
> 
> Autoconf's goal is to port the application; 'configure' is merely a
> means to that goal.  One of Autoconf's assumptions is that you are
> trying to write a 'configure' script that is as portable as possible.
> Autoconf does not (and cannot) check that the shell code that you
> insert into 'configure' is portable; that has to be your responsibility.
I agree it's sort of recursive, trying to make configure portable so that
it will configure some other package portably. I still think the suggestion
is reasonable - use $SED not sed wherever possible, with some sensible default
${SED-sed}? which allows an override by those in trouble and in the know, and
no change for anyone else.
Cheers,
        Len
-- 
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