On 2018-08-23 Andreas Metzler <ametz...@bebt.de> wrote: [...] > Almost, it is caused by upgrading automake. Building with automake > 1:1.16.1-1 fails, downgrading to 1:1.15.1-3.1 lets the build succeed. > Which seems to have hit other packages, too. With one report (#906774) > reassigned to automake.
> FWIW at first glance I have not found not-too-involved a workaround yet. > I might be forced to move stuff from Build-Depends-Indep to > Build-Depends. Hello, this is caused mdate-sh. The rule that checks whether version.texi is up to date runs mdate-sh on the source texi file and compares whether the result differs from the current timestamp in version.texi state.[1] If the timestamp differs version.texi is regenerated and a rebuild of the info documentation is triggered. mdate-sh in automake 1:1.16.1-1 has grown "support" for SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH. If SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH is set in the environment then its value is used and the modification time of the file is ignored. Which causes the build-failure by tricking make into thinking the info file is out of date. This seems to be a Debian specific change. The patch was already present in 1:1.15.1-3 (and -3.1) *source* but did not end up changing usr/share/automake-1.15/mdate-sh. It is however present in 1:1.16.1-1's /usr/share/automake-1.16/mdate-sh. cu Andreas [1] $(srcdir)/stamp-vti: libtasn1.texi $(top_srcdir)/configure @(dir=.; test -f ./libtasn1.texi || dir=$(srcdir); \ set `$(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/build-aux/mdate-sh $$dir/libtasn1.texi`; \ echo "@set UPDATED $$1 $$2 $$3"; \ echo "@set UPDATED-MONTH $$2 $$3"; \ echo "@set EDITION $(VERSION)"; \ echo "@set VERSION $(VERSION)") > vti.tmp$$$$ && \ (cmp -s vti.tmp$$$$ $(srcdir)/version.texi \ || (echo "Updating $(srcdir)/version.texi" && \ cp vti.tmp$$$$ $(srcdir)/version.texi.tmp$$$$ && \ mv $(srcdir)/version.texi.tmp$$$$ $(srcdir)/version.texi)) && \ rm -f vti.tmp$$$$ $(srcdir)/version.texi.$$$$ @cp $(srcdir)/version.texi $@ -- `What a good friend you are to him, Dr. Maturin. His other friends are so grateful to you.' `I sew his ears on from time to time, sure'