Re: config files substitution with awk

[Paul Eggert]

In <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/autoconf-patches/2006-12/msg00012.html>
Ralf Wildenhues <address@hidden> writes:

> - Have a separate bootstrapping mechanism in place for gawk that does not
> need any awk, similar to sed's bootstrap script.

This seems like way overkill to me.  How about if we merely
add 'awk' to the list of programs that 'configure' can run?
'awk' is present on every GNU and Unix system, and has been
present for three decades.  There should be no real problem
in bootstrapping gawk on any of these hosts, just as there
is no real problem in bootstrapping other basic utility
packages like coreutils.

It's true that there are porting issues among the various
awk implementations, but the proposed Autoconf-generated
'configure' scripts should work on them all, even the
"ancient awk" of Solaris.  And the GNU coding standards
already cover this issue by saying "Stick to the generally
supported options for these programs."

Here's a proposed patch to the GNU coding standards to
implement this suggestion.

2006-12-04  Paul Eggert  <address@hidden>

        * make-stds.texi (Utilities in Makefiles): Add awk to the list.

*** make-stds.texi-1    Mon Dec  4 14:44:23 2006
--- make-stds.texi      Mon Dec  4 14:50:18 2006
*************** installation should not use any utilitie
*** 155,161 ****
  @c mkfifo mknod tee uname
  
  @example
! cat cmp cp diff echo egrep expr false grep install-info
  ln ls mkdir mv pwd rm rmdir sed sleep sort tar test touch true
  @end example
  
--- 155,161 ----
  @c mkfifo mknod tee uname
  
  @example
! awk cat cmp cp diff echo egrep expr false grep install-info
  ln ls mkdir mv pwd rm rmdir sed sleep sort tar test touch true
  @end example