GNU bug report logs - #23058
Bug found in libtool make process

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

From: "Villeneuve, Donald H" <donald.h.villeneuve <at> intel.com>
To: "bug-libtool <at> gnu.org" <bug-libtool <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Bug found in libtool make process
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 23:55:51 +0000

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

Hi,
We build and use libtool for one of the products we are working on.

In the course of build libtool the following was noticed:


1)      Do as usual a configure  --> everything seems fine

2)      export U=abcxyz_idoNotcare_whatitis

3)      make

The make will fail because in the course of its run, it will use a variable called $U.
This bug was noticed when installing libtool 2.4.2 under
Linux-2.6.32-504.el6.x86_64-x86_64-with-redhat-6.7-Santiago
GNU Make 3.81

The fix is clear: Someone must not use U as a variable name.  In this case, the customer was using the variable U as follows:
    export U=~/util
So as a shortcut for their utility directory, which seems to be an admissible use case.

I've not check more recent versions of libtool against this bug.  But as we move away from 2.4.2, it would be not to have to worry about this one.
Thanks.

If you have any further questions, more details can be provided.
Donald

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 23058 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Peter Rosin <peda <at> lysator.liu.se>
To: "Villeneuve, Donald H" <donald.h.villeneuve <at> intel.com>, 
 23058 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#23058: Bug found in libtool make process
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2016 22:40:56 +0100

On 2016-03-19 00:55, Villeneuve, Donald H wrote:
> Hi,
> We build and use libtool for one of the products we are working on.
>  
> In the course of build libtool the following was noticed:
>  
> 1)      Do as usual a configure  à everything seems fine
> 2)      export U=abcxyz_idoNotcare_whatitis
> 3)      make
>  
> The make will fail because in the course of its run, it will use a variable called $U.
> This bug was noticed when installing libtool 2.4.2 under
> Linux-2.6.32-504.el6.x86_64-x86_64-with-redhat-6.7-Santiago
> GNU Make 3.81
>  
> The fix is clear: Someone must not use U as a variable name.  In this case, the customer was using the variable U as follows:
>     export U=~/util
> So as a shortcut for their utility directory, which seems to be an admissible use case.
>  
> I’ve not check more recent versions of libtool against this bug.  But as we move away from 2.4.2, it would be not to have to worry about this one.
> Thanks.
>  
> If you have any further questions, more details can be provided.
> Donald

This is not a libtool bug, it is caused by some bad interaction
between autoconf and automake in the code for support of pre-ANSI
compilers. See [1] for an old dup of your report. Automake has
removed support for pre-ANSI compilers since a couple of years,
maybe it is time for autoconf to follow?

Cheers,
Peter

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-autoconf/2010-02/msg00013.html

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