[+cc bug-automake] On 11/09/2012 05:33 PM, Nick Bowler wrote: > On 2012-11-09 18:00 +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote: >> On Sat, Nov 03, 2012 at 01:31:39AM +0100, Stefano Lattarini wrote: >>> On 11/02/2012 09:46 PM, Eric Blake wrote: >>>> On 10/17/2012 04:15 AM, Stefano Lattarini wrote: > [...] >>>> Hmm, I'm wondering if we should do something fancier, and have both >>>> AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR and AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIRS collaborate so that the >>>> FIRST call to either macro causes AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR to be traced. >>>> >>> Considering that I'd like to see AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR deprecated in >>> Autoconf 2.71 and removed in Autoconf 2.72, I believe that would be >>> a bit of an overkill. >>> ... >> >> It is completely crazy to imagine removing a macro in Autoconf 2.72 >> that is as of today used in half of all configure.ac files. [1] >> >> Did you ever consider the consequences e.g. for Debian, where more than >> thousand packages are re-running autoconf at package build time? >> "We have to fix 1000 packages before we can upgrade to autoconf 2.72 >> in Debian" sounds like a pretty horrible situation for both Debian >> and autoconf. >> >> Marking it as deprecated in Autoconf 2.71 with a possible removal >> 10 years later sounds like a more realistic schedule. > > To be honest I don't see the point in removing the macro ever, since > it doesn't actually do anything. > Good point. Unfortunately, the current development version of aclocal has started to recognize and handle AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR. But we can easily change that once 'AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIRS' is implemented, by having aclocal recognize only this later macro; and we can do so without any backward-incompatibility, since the code handling AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR has not made it into any released aclocal version.
I'm CC:ing this message to the bug-automake list so that I won't forgot about the issue ... > Removing it from the documentation > (except perhaps for historical reference) and marking it deprecated > would be prudent, however. > > By the same token, to avoid any regressions, let's not change the > behaviour of AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR by suddenly making it do more than > nothing. > I agree; and as I said, I plan to remove aclocal's new-found ability to handle AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR before releasing Automake 1.13. Thanks, Stefano