Message-ID: <369CB1CA.7B2C40A5@oranda.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 14:46:34 +0000
From: "Gary V. Vaughan" <gvaughan AT oranda DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
Organization: Aethos Communication Systems ltd.
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To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
CC: Alexandre Oliva <oliva AT dcc DOT unicamp DOT br>, Andris Pavenis <pavenis AT lanet DOT lv>,
        "Mark E." <snowball3 AT usa DOT net>, autoconf AT gnu DOT org,
        djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com, Libtool List <bug-libtool AT gnu DOT org>
Subject: Re: patch for autoheader.sh
References: <Pine DOT SUN DOT 3 DOT 91 DOT 990113163151 DOT 19286A-100000 AT is>
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Reply-To: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 13 Jan 1999, Gary V. Vaughan wrote:
> 
> > > If /dev/null is verboten, maybe what Andris suggested with 1>&2
> > > is better?
> >
> > If it works in that particular case, then that is good, and should
> > probably be done.  However, as Alexandre pointed out, use of
> > /dev/null in autoconf/automake/libtool/*.m4 is all-pervasive and if
> > we try to change it, it will kill us all (and our families).
> 
> I didn't suggest to change the existing uses of /dev/null (DJGPP
> supports it).  I suggested to use 1>&2 instead for the patch we are
> discussing, and for it alone.

Sorry... yes I agree with you (1>&- is not supported properly by ash,
which is used as /bin/sh on older cygwins and early stampede linux). 
BUT, the fact that this patch is needed at all, probably means that the
auto* tools should be audited to see whether the same problem is likely
to occur at any of the other (many, many) points that it is used.  Or
else we might get other similar hard to find problems in the future.

Alexandre, is this worth a note in the PORTing section of libtool?  Or
maybe we can come up with a test that searches for cases which might
have the same problem?  I might be persuaded to audit libtool
(particularly if it prevents me from being killed =)O|), though there
would be little point if the other tools are not checked.

Cheers,
	Gary.