Re: What is it with the dependency on config.status

[Stefano Lattarini]

Hi Jan.

On 12/31/2011 12:29 AM, Jan Engelhardt wrote:
> 
> I have seen user-induced lines in Makefile.am like these in a handful 
> of packages:
>
Which packages?  I need more information if I am to attempt an informed
guess ...

>       ${pkgconfig_DATA}: ${top_builddir}/config.status
> 
> Given that automake 1.11.1/autoconf 2.68 seem to automatically recreate 
> files specified in AC_CONFIG_FILES when configure.ac is changed, what is 
> the actual purpose/significance of this line?
> 
The best way to know would probably be asking the person(s) that have
written such a line :-)

My initial "knee-jerk" guess was that that line was needed for older automake
versions, but by looking into the automake history, I've seen that the automatic
remake rules for files depending on config.status have been around in a form or
another since February 1996 (i.e., pre 1.0).  So I don't honestly know what the
rationale for that line is.

Regards,
  Stefano