Re: GNU m4 mktests.sh minor compatibility problem with POSIX 1003.1-2001

[Akim Demaille]

| The new POSIX standard is now official (IEEE Std 1003.1-2001), and it
| has removed support for an obsolete utility option that m4 uses.
| Basically, the new POSIX has removed digit-string options (e.g., "tail
| -1") and options beginning with "+" (e.g., "sort +1").  I'm using an
| experimental environment that insists on the new standard, so I tend
| to run into these problems before other people do.
| 
| Here is a proposed patch for GNU m4.
| 
| 2002-02-22  Paul Eggert  <address@hidden>
| 
|       * examples/mktests.sh: Use `sed q', rather than `head -1',
|       as POSIX 1003.1-2001 no longer allows `head -1'.
| 
| --- ./examples/mktests.sh     1998-11-26 16:13:02.000000000 -0800
| +++ /net/knick/home/eggert/junk/mktests.sh    2002-02-22 20:33:45.039442000 
-0800
| @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ FILE=`basename $1 .m4`
|  
|  test -r $FILE.m4 || exit 1
|  
| -if head -1 $FILE.m4 | fgrep -w 'dnl noauto' >/dev/null; then
| +if sed q $FILE.m4 | fgrep -w 'dnl noauto' >/dev/null; then
|      echo "$FILE.test cannot be generated" 1>&2
|      exit 1
|  fi

Hi Paul!

Of course your patch is right!  Unfortunately, I can't grant you write
access.  Gary?