Re: iconv_open: non-gnu make fails to generate "iconv_open-aix.h"

[Assaf Gordon]

Hello Bruno,

On 2019-08-24 2:19 a.m., Bruno Haible wrote:
> > Perhaps this is a non-issue, and only gnu-make is supported
> > for this bootstrapping stage (and non-gnu makes are only supported
> > after "make dist"). Still, worth reporting.
>
> Indeed, we need to distinguish the two uses: Building from a tarball,
> and building from a git checkout.

[...]

> Now, for building from a git checkout, typically more
> tools are needed, usually listed in the file 'HACKING'. To me,
> the priorities are as follows:
>    1. GNU make must be supported.
>    2. The preinstalled 'make' of various operating systems should
>       be supported, if possible.
>    3. Other 'make' implementations should be supported, if possible.
>
> > The 'bmake' here is BSD-make from the stock Debian 'bmake' package,
> > but the same happens on FreeBSD.
>
> 'bmake' is in category 3. Whereas the Makefile rule that rebuilds
> iconv_open-aix.h has been written in such a way that it works with
> OpenBSD 'make', which is in category 2.
>
> I won't remove support for a 'make' in category 2, to satisfy one
> in category 3.
>
> In other words, 'bmake' is just too dumb to be supported as a build
> tool in HACKING.

Thanks for the details.

For completeness, this version of "make" is the native version
(=preinstalled by the operating system) in FreeBSD and NetBSD -
so projects using gnulib's "iconv_open" module can't be built
there from git without installing gnu-make.

However, as you wrote, this is a minor issue at best.
If someone wants to develop or hack on such project on these systems,
they'll anyhow need automake+autoconf+gettext+gperf+pkg-config,
they might as well install gnu-make too :)

-assaf