GNU bug report logs - #10234
Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Basavaraj B <basavaraja.b <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Bug-coreutils <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:05:47 -0800

[This is a followon to Bug#10220, but it's a separate issue,
so I'm opening up a new bug report.]

On 12/06/11 01:11, Basavaraj B wrote:

> )rm -f alloca.h-t alloca.h &&  { echo '/* DO NOT EDIT! GENERATED
> AUTOMATICALLY! */';  cat ./alloca.in.h;  } > alloca.h-h
> /bin/sh: syntax error at line 1 : `)' unexpected
> *** Error code 2

Ouch.  Coreutils is built with Automake's silent-rules feature,
and as I just now discovered, that feature is documented to not
be portable to POSIX make.  NonStop make conforms to POSIX in
this area but disagrees with GNU make.  The simplest fix is to
disable the silent-rules feature; it doesn't suffice to run
'configure --disable-silent-rules'.

The following patch should fix things for you; could you please
give it a try?  You'll need to run 'automake' etc. afterwards --
if you lack the autotools on NonStop you can run them on a Linux
box, copy the results to NonStop, and then run 'configure' on NonStop.

=====

build: disable silent-rules
* configure.ac (AM_SILENT_RULES): Remove.  This option generates
makefiles that are incompatible with POSIX make, and which do not
work on NonStop.  Problem reported by Basavaraj B.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9ca2ce4..f65fb81 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([lib/config.h:lib/config.hin])

 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.11.1 no-dist-gzip dist-xz color-tests parallel-tests])
-AM_SILENT_RULES([yes]) # make --enable-silent-rules the default.

 AC_PROG_CC_STDC
 AM_PROG_CC_C_O

Message #8 received at 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: Basavaraj B <basavaraja.b <at> gmail.com>, 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#10234: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:36:09 +0100

Paul Eggert wrote:
> [This is a followon to Bug#10220, but it's a separate issue,
> so I'm opening up a new bug report.]
>
> On 12/06/11 01:11, Basavaraj B wrote:
>
>> )rm -f alloca.h-t alloca.h &&  { echo '/* DO NOT EDIT! GENERATED
>> AUTOMATICALLY! */';  cat ./alloca.in.h;  } > alloca.h-h
>> /bin/sh: syntax error at line 1 : `)' unexpected
>> *** Error code 2
>
> Ouch.  Coreutils is built with Automake's silent-rules feature,
> and as I just now discovered, that feature is documented to not
> be portable to POSIX make.  NonStop make conforms to POSIX in
> this area but disagrees with GNU make.  The simplest fix is to
> disable the silent-rules feature; it doesn't suffice to run
> 'configure --disable-silent-rules'.
>
> The following patch should fix things for you; could you please
> give it a try?  You'll need to run 'automake' etc. afterwards --
> if you lack the autotools on NonStop you can run them on a Linux
> box, copy the results to NonStop, and then run 'configure' on NonStop.
>
> =====
>
> build: disable silent-rules
> * configure.ac (AM_SILENT_RULES): Remove.  This option generates
> makefiles that are incompatible with POSIX make, and which do not
> work on NonStop.  Problem reported by Basavaraj B.
> diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
> index 9ca2ce4..f65fb81 100644
> --- a/configure.ac
> +++ b/configure.ac
> @@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
>  AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([lib/config.h:lib/config.hin])
>
>  AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.11.1 no-dist-gzip dist-xz color-tests parallel-tests])
> -AM_SILENT_RULES([yes]) # make --enable-silent-rules the default.

Hi Paul,

IMO, nonstop is a fringe target, so I am very reluctant to
sacrifice the above default solely to accommodate that system.
I would rather simply encourage people using that system to
install and use GNU make.

I similar feelings about the recent \#-related change, since
it obfuscates our Makefile.am files, but obviously the impact
there is negligible, so that change is acceptable.

Message #11 received at 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Cc: Basavaraj B <basavaraja.b <at> gmail.com>, 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	10237 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#10234: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:59:17 -0800

On 12/06/11 09:36, Jim Meyering wrote:
> I am very reluctant to
> sacrifice the above default solely to accommodate that system.

Yes, the "make" chatter is annoying, but on the other
hand being portable is pretty important too.  It's not just
NonStop; NextStep 'make' has a similar problem, and I wouldn't
be surprised if it crops up on other (admittedly minor) targets.

I have filed a bug report against this with Automake; see
<http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=10237>
(warning: the GNU mailing list software has turned some
"@"s into " <at> "s in that patch.)

Let's see if we can get it solved that way
-- it shouldn't be too hard, and it'd be much nicer.

Message #14 received at 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Cc: Basavaraj B <basavaraja.b <at> gmail.com>, Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>,
	10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#10234: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:41:28 -0700

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 12/06/2011 10:36 AM, Jim Meyering wrote:
> Paul Eggert wrote:
>> [This is a followon to Bug#10220, but it's a separate issue,
>> so I'm opening up a new bug report.]
>>
>> On 12/06/11 01:11, Basavaraj B wrote:
>>
>>> )rm -f alloca.h-t alloca.h &&  { echo '/* DO NOT EDIT! GENERATED
>>> AUTOMATICALLY! */';  cat ./alloca.in.h;  } > alloca.h-h
>>> /bin/sh: syntax error at line 1 : `)' unexpected
>>> *** Error code 2
>>
>> Ouch.  Coreutils is built with Automake's silent-rules feature,
>> and as I just now discovered, that feature is documented to not
>> be portable to POSIX make.  NonStop make conforms to POSIX in
>> this area but disagrees with GNU make.  The simplest fix is to
>> disable the silent-rules feature; it doesn't suffice to run
>> 'configure --disable-silent-rules'.

> 
> IMO, nonstop is a fringe target, so I am very reluctant to
> sacrifice the above default solely to accommodate that system.
> I would rather simply encourage people using that system to
> install and use GNU make.

That, and POSIX is considering standardizing make behavior of nested
variable expansion (supported by GNU make, BSD make, SunPro make, and
several other make flavors), at which point nonstop make would be the
odd man out and would need to be updated to comply with the new
standards.  Under the proposal, automake's usage for silent rules will
then be compliant to POSIX:

http://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=336

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake <at> redhat.com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, attachment)]

Message #17 received at 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Assaf Gordon <assafgordon <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#10234: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2018 08:51:50 -0600

tags 10234 wontfix
close 10234
stop

(triaging old bugs)

Hello,

On 06/12/11 10:41 AM, Eric Blake wrote:
> On 12/06/2011 10:36 AM, Jim Meyering wrote:
>> Paul Eggert wrote:
>>>
>>> On 12/06/11 01:11, Basavaraj B wrote:
>>>
>>>> )rm -f alloca.h-t alloca.h &&  { echo '/* DO NOT EDIT! GENERATED
>>>> AUTOMATICALLY! */';  cat ./alloca.in.h;  } > alloca.h-h
>>>> /bin/sh: syntax error at line 1 : `)' unexpected
>>>> *** Error code 2
>>>
>>> Ouch.  Coreutils is built with Automake's silent-rules feature,
>>> and as I just now discovered, that feature is documented to not
>>> be portable to POSIX make.
[...]
>>
>> IMO, nonstop is a fringe target, so I am very reluctant to
>> sacrifice the above default solely to accommodate that system.
[...]
> That, and POSIX is considering standardizing make behavior of nested
> variable expansion

As such (and with no further follow-up in 6 years),
I'm closing this bug.

regards,
 -a ssaf

Message #24 received at 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Assaf Gordon <assafgordon <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 10234 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#10234: Coreutils incompatibility with POSIX make
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2018 08:20:29 -0700

On 10/15/18 7:51 AM, Assaf Gordon wrote:
>> That, and POSIX is considering standardizing make behavior of nested
>> variable expansion
>
> As such (and with no further follow-up in 6 years),
> I'm closing this bug. 

Thanks. By the way, the problem was fixed at the Automake level, so 
there was no need to change the POSIX spec for 'make'. See Bug#10237. 
Also, the effort to change the POSIX spec for 'make' seems to have 
fizzled out despite not having much objection; see 
<http://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=336>.

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