Hello Paul. On Wed, Apr 19, 2006 at 04:18:04PM -0700, Paul Eggert wrote: > Stepan Kasal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > And $(mkdir_p) cannot be used with an option anyway. > > But under the patch I proposed, "$(mkdir_p) -m 444" would be allowed, > for example.
(Well, not ``for example'', -m is the only option you can use here. But this would have to be properly documented: 1) in the comment in mkdir_p, as another reason why GNU mkdir is the only one accepted, 2) in the documentation for the macro. > But portable directory names cannot start with '-'. See > <http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/xbd_chap04.html#tag_04_06>. > I don't think we need to worry about applications that want to install > files whose names begin with "-". [...] Yes, this is true for Autoconf. But what about Automake, this would be a regression for it. But it could replace all uses by "$(mkdir_p) --", of course. > A minor advantage of not ending in ' --' is that the output of "make" > is easier to read. Thus it seems this will apply only to packages which don't use Automake. > > - # $(mkinstalldirs) is defined by Automake if mkinstalldirs exists. > > - if test -f "$ac_aux_dir/mkinstalldirs"; then > > - mkdir_p='$(mkinstalldirs)' > > - else > > - mkdir_p='$(install_sh) -d' > > - fi > > Hmm, why remove support for mkinstalldirs here? Isn't that a separate > issue? I'm not removing the support for mkinstalldirs. I just do not use it as a fallback for mkdir_p, even if it is present. (Note that every package using current Automake has to distribute install-sh, because AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE requires AC_PROG_INSTALL.) You are right, this is a separate change, but it is a prerequisite for moving AM_PROG_MKDIR_P to Autoconf, and Bruno's original patch contained it, too. I proposed it long ago: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2005-07/msg00038.html The discussion continued this March: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2006-03/msg00015.html A plan: ------- First, the ``mkinstalldirs'' issue has to be resolved. Second, `install-sh' should be patched to understand `--', the patch is earier in this thread. Third, as you put it: > [...] mkdir_p should end in ' --', or not. But it should be > consistent, whichever way is chosen, so clearly a change is needed. And then we can return to the question of moving the macro to Autoconf. Have a nice day, Stepan