Re: automake-related failure when building from git (AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT)

[Sami Kerola]

On 24 July 2014 00:54, Assaf Gordon <address@hidden> wrote:
> I'm revisiting a previously discussed topic:
>
> "make check" fails when building from GIT on a system with 'old' automake:
>   http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hello/2014-03/msg00015.html
>
> The outcome of the above discussion is that "automake" should be upgraded on
> the system,
> and therefore in GNU Hello "AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT" will not be changed back
> to "TESTS_ENVIRONMENT".
>
> The decisions is of course yours, but I'd like to raise the following
> issues:
> 1. in "bootstrap.conf", the required version is listed as "1.9.6" - so
> running "./bootstrap" doesn't warn the user about this sure failure.
>
> 2. in "configure.ac" the required version is listed as "1.11.1", which I
> believe is not sufficient for AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT.
> For example, see here:
> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-parted/2012-08/msg00014.html
>
> 3. on Debian 7 stable/wheezy amd64, with installed version of automake
> 1.11.6
> ( https://packages.debian.org/wheezy/automake ), the tests *still* fail.
> Changing to "TESTS_ENVIRONMENT" avoids the problem.
>
> While this is only anecdotal evidence, it does hints that automake 1.11.6 is
> not sufficient (unless something is wrong with my Debian installation).
> Note that Debian stable does not have automake>1.11.6 (Debian
> testing/unstable do have it).
> It would be nice to support such system (Debian Stable seems a reasonable
> configuration), but if course it could be officially decided that Debian
> Stable's default versions are not sufficient for development.
>
> 4. For comparison, at least some other GNU packages decided to revert back
> to "TESTS_ENVIRONMENTS":
>  http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-parted/2012-10/msg00010.html
> And they still use it even today.

Hello Assaf,

Fair to tell it took ages to reply, sorry about that.  I had a look of
the automake NEWS file and commit log, and after that made the decision
to remove AM_ from TESTS_ENVIRONMENT.  This change should probably be
reverted again when the more conservative distribution revisions has
automake 1.12 or newer.

http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/commit/?id=bc966b6fe7d3458f21c6fbf0b2d3f66f14508da8

-- 
Sami Kerola
http://www.iki.fi/kerolasa/