[kde-solaris] GNU Makefiles should only use Bourne Shell Syntax - Not Bash.

[Rolf Sponsel]

Stefan Teleman, 2005-01-31 19:31 GMT +01:00, wrote:

> On Monday 31 January 2005 12:34, Rolf Sponsel wrote:
> 
>>This is why it's perfectly legal to link '/bin/sh' to bash.
> 
> 
> the question is: is it a really good idea to make system wide changes 
> just to become compatible with a limited set of shell scripts which 
> are only run when building autoconf based software ?

I guess you should address this question to the GNU people.
They have made the desicion - whether good or bad?

>>But this is also the reason for why, ususally Linux people,
>>*don't* understand why it's so important for portability to
>>stay away of non-sh-syntax available in bash.
> 
> 
>>I'm sorry to have to disappoint you here (although I fully can
>>understand your logic). The documentation explicitly states:
>>"Write the Makefile commands (and any shell scripts,
>>  such as configure) to run in sh, not in csh. Don't
>>  use any special features of ksh or bash."
> 
> 
> this sounds more like a noble ideal, rather than a state of fact.

I'm not sure what you mean?

> we 
> can all complain about how ./configure or libtool are not really 
> written in a backwards-compatible manner with the Solaris /bin/sh 
> till no end. i estimate the probability of the autoconf maintainers 
> changing the tools to become 100% compatible with the Solaris /bin/sh 
> at 0.0 (zero).

It has nothing to do with Solaris. It's about what
is the stated syntax to be used in conjuntion with
autoconf files.

And that syntax is Bourne Shell.

In an attempt to avoid discussions like these the GNU
people do explicitly point this out to us all - well,
at least to those of us that read their documentation
- ( which I happen to have done for once ;-) ).

> and i am willing to bet beer on this. :-)

Whatever reason you wan't to buy me a beer for,
I humbly donate that beer to you. :-)

> the problem at hand is to be able to run ./configure, create Makefiles 
> and then gmake (gmake and not XPG4 make), to run libtool from these 
> Makefiles in an efficient and correct manner, which would generate 
> libraries and executables, on Solaris, with a minimal system wide 
> impact. that will not happen as long as one tries to use the Solaris 
> /bin/sh with the GNU autoconf bundle.
> 
> --Stefan

Right!

I agree with you on this, at least as long as people
do *not* read documentation and follow intentions
(not my intentions, or interpretations, but those of
  the GNU people).

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Rolf Sponsel

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