Re: configure: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet

[Peter Rosin]

On 2014-09-18 10:06, R. Diez wrote:
> 
> 
>>>  [...]
>>
>>>  Why is <insert any configure script> searching for <xyzzy> on 
>>
>>>  platform <gazonk> when <xyzzy> isn't available there?
>>>      <pause>
>>>  Because it's the autoconf way! It's not a bug.
>>>  [...]
> 
> One more thing I just realised: that spurious warning renders the original 
> warning message inoperative:
> 
>   configure: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet
> 
> The reason is, that warning message is issued only once. If it is always 
> generated for the manifest tool, it will not come up again for any other tool 
> where that warning would have really helped. I don't think anybody is going 
> to bother implementing the work-arounds you mentioned, so that warning has 
> lost its effectiveness in practice.
> 
> And another thing I just saw: libtools does find some "mt" tool on my system, 
> but is actually "mt - control magnetic tape drive operation". That is 
> unfortunate. I wonder who decided to call Windows' manifest tool "mt". Maybe 
> autoconf/libtool should check whether that tool is actually usuable as a 
> manifest tool, like it does with the C compiler, before deciding that some 
> 'mt' tool it found is valid.

You really can't expect that all two and three letter program names
ever used will never be reused for some other purpose on some other
system.

Did you read the next line in the configure output?

I expect it reads something like:

        checking if mt is a manifest tool...no

So, Libtool checks that the found "mt" is in fact a manifest tool (and
not the magnetic tape thing).

BTW, have you used many magnetic tapes lately? From your development
(or build) system? Another workaround would be to uninstall the magnetic
tape control program.

But sure, Libtool could open code it and redo what AC_CHECK_TOOL does
but with the mt-check integrated in the path search loop. Hmm, using
AC_PATH_PROGS_FEATURE_CHECK might be viable? Patches are welcome, I
suppose.

Cheers,
Peter