Re: INSTALL should tell about particular systems, HP-UX cc

[Eric Blake]

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According to Bruno Haible on 4/26/2008 7:18 AM:
| Ping? What about installing the patch in
|   http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/autoconf-patches/2008-04/msg00050.html ?

I haven't forgotten, but also haven't had time to think about it in depth.

|
| The part about HP-UX (-Ae option) could be dropped if
|   1) AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS is modified to add -Ae.
| and
|   2) AC_PROG_CC_STDC is modified to reject K&R C compilers.
|
| Status of 1): Everyone appears to agree, but no one has done the work yet.

Doable, but it will mean AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS has to be called early
(the existing implementation only adds -D options, but once you start
modifying CFLAGS, it invalidates all prior compilation tests).
_AC_PROG_CC_C89 in lib/autoconf/c.m4 shows an example of how to add -Ae.
For that matter, item 2) may already do this automatically without using
AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS.

| Status of 2): Not everyone agrees that this should be done, or at least an
| escape for old K&R C packages should be offered.

We already have AC_PROG_CC_C89.  Maybe we should offer AC_PROG_CC_KR which
allows a K&R C compiler (similar to the current AC_PROG_CC), and default
AC_PROG_CC to use AC_PROG_CC_C89 instead.  Then packages will default to
requiring C89 unless explicitly requested otherwise.

|
| So what is hindering this patch from being applied?

Lack of free time.  :)

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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