Subject: bug#17060: libguile install-data-hook target fails on BSD make

From: Mark H Weaver <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:28:09 -0400

retitle 17060 libguile install-data-hook target fails on BSD make
thanks

[email-masked] writes:

> The install step for building guile 2.0.11 fails after successful
> compile on amd 64 bit FreeBsd 10.0. The error message is
>
>     install: : No such file or directory
>     
> where the item being installed has a blank name.
>
> At the suggestion of mark_weaver on IRC, i tried 'gmake' instead of
> 'make' and the install went through successfully.
>
> The thinking is that there is something non-portable in the make file.

wgl provided more information on IRC, so let me fill in the details.

The failing target is 'install-data-hook' in libguile/Makefile.am.
It prints this on the console: (modulo whitespace)

 /usr/bin/install -c -m 644
      /usr/local/lib/libguile-2.0.so.29-gdb.scm

Notice that the source filename is missing, suggesting that '$<' is the
empty string.  It then fails with the following error message:

  install: : No such file or directory

This is when using BSD 'make' from FreeBSD 10.
When using 'gmake' (GNU Make), it works properly.

      Mark