Re: [bug-gettext] Uses of obsolete $(mkdir_p) in gettext codebase.

[Stefano Lattarini]

On 06/10/2013 10:57 AM, Daiki Ueno wrote:
> Stefano Lattarini <address@hidden> writes:
> 
>> I see that gettext still uses the obsolete $(mkdir_p) variable, instead
>> of the modern equivalent $(MKDIR_P).  Future Automake versions will only
>> define the $(mkdir_p) variable when they see that the obsolete macro
>> AM_PROG_MKDIR_P is in use as well.  Since Gettext has stopped using that
>> macro since version 0.18.2, the $(mkdir_p) variable (as well as the
>> @mkdir_p@ substitution) will no longer be available in the makefiles
>> and makefile recipes generated by Gettext.  So it would be safer, in
>> view of forward-comaptibility, if Gettext would start using $(MKDIR_P)
>> exclusively, dropping any use of $(mkdir_p) that is still present.
> 
> Thanks, I've done this for the following files:
> 
> gettext-runtime/intl-csharp/Makefile.am
> gettext-runtime/intl-java/Makefile.am
> 
> gettext-tools/**/Makefile.am
> gnulib-local/modules/libglib
> gnulib-local/modules/libxml
> 
> However, I've left gettext-runtime/intl/Makefile.in and
> gettext-runtime/po/Makefile.in.in untouched, since 'gettextize' script
> supports Automake 1.8 or later and I'm not sure if we can safely bump
> the required version.  Any suggestions?
>
Maybe you could add a fat warning in NEWS telling that the future Gettext
versions (starting not from the one you are about to release, but the one
after that) will require Automake >= 1.10 (or even >= 1.11) in all their
tools/scripts.  I think that is not an unfair requirement today; automake
versions older than 1.11 are *really* outdated IMO.

As for Automake, it will continue to support $(mkdir_p) and AM_PROG_MKDIR_P
anyway in order not to break projects that have in their configure.ac calls
like:

    AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION([0.17])

or even

    AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION([0.18.1])

For a more extended rationale, see the commit message at:
<http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/automake.git/commit/?id=030ecb45>

So, in conclusion, I think for the moment it is safe to just continue to
use $(mkdir_p) in the few files you have cited.

Thank you,
  Stefano