Re: [RFA:] SUN make VPATH breakage at libsupc++ header installation

[Tom Tromey <tromey at redhat dot com>]

>>>>> ">" == Hans-Peter Nilsson <hans-peter.nilsson@axis.com> writes:

>> Here's a patch to fix SUN make VPATH expansion breaking libsupc++
>> header installation with the default automake rule, as noticed by
>> Phil Edwards,
>> <URL:http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2001-05/msg02096.html>.

>> automake people (CC:ed) might want to consider changing the default
>> installheader expansion along these lines

Automake has always adopted the rule that VPATH builds are supported
only with GNU make.  Vendor makes, including Sun, don't handle VPATH
well enough to use them.  I think if you look you'll discover that
supporting Sun make's VPATH would require adding little hacks all over
automake.

I'm sure there are old discussions about this in the automake list
archives.  I don't remember all the specifics any more.

>> + 	  p=`basename $$p0`; \

You're prohibited from using basename in a Makefile rule by the GNU
Coding Standards.  See (Standards)Utilities in Makefiles.  Weirdly,
though, post-installation commands can use basename.  Hmm.  Anyway, we
never use it in Automake.

Tom