Re: an autotest design flaw

[Bruno Haible]

Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> the possibility to use the flexibility of m4
> is helpful, both for implementing a testsuite environment, and deploying
> invidividual tests, once you're used to it.

Details, please? With shell functions, you also have a lot of flexibility.
You can
  - define functions depending on the platform (e.g. func_readlink, func_echo),
  - define variables which expand to shell functions or commands:
      $echo "abc"
      $verbose cp ...
What flexibility do you gain with m4?

> If I understand correctly though, one factor was also the possibility to
> write a testsuite environment that did not require a shell with
> functions, at the time Autotest was created.

Yes, I recall Akim was really scared that introducing shell functions could
significantly reduce the portability.

Bruno