Re: Error in gnu make?

[Andreas Schwab]

"Paul D. Smith" <address@hidden> writes:

|> %% address@hidden (j) writes:
|> 
|>   j> Why did the writers of gnu make choose this convension?
|> 
|> I don't know, but it's been like that forever.  The only thing I can
|> suggest is that a "pattern" is a well-defined concept in make, and it
|> _always_ refers to a string (with no whitespace) containing either zero
|> or one "%" character.
|> 
|> Perhaps the authors simply didn't want to make the prerequisite patterns
|> inconsistent with all the other uses of patterns in GNU make, even
|> though that would have been possible without ambiguity in this case.
|> 
|> 
|> But, you'd have to ask RMS and/or Roland McGrath to be sure.

According to the manual, pattern rules have been invented before GNU make:

   * Pattern rules using `%'.  This has been implemented in several
     versions of `make'.  We're not sure who invented it first, but
     it's been spread around a bit.  *Note Defining and Redefining
     Pattern Rules: Pattern Rules.

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab, SuSE Labs, address@hidden
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