[perl #41168] graceful "no compiler" error message?

[James Keenan via RT]

Somewhat apropos the discussion in this old ticket, tonight I noticed
the following code in config/inter/progs.pm:


sub cc_run {
    ...
    my $run_error;
    if ( defined( $_[0] ) && length( $_[0] ) ) {
        local $" = ' ';
        $run_error = _run_command( "$test_exe @_", './test.out', undef,
$verbose );
    }
    else {
        $run_error = _run_command( "$test_exe", './test.out', undef,
$verbose );
    }

    my $output = _slurp('./test.out');

    return $output;
}

Note that nothing is ever done with $run_error.  Would it be of any use
in giving a more descriptive explanation of why comfiguration might fail?

(Or, since this method is called in *many* locations, would making a
change here create more problems than it would solve?)

kid51