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http://jcflack.myopenid.com/ 2008-08-14 16:08:53 -04:00 committed by Joey Hess
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doc/bugs/Please_avoid_using___39__cp_-a__39___in_Makefile.PL.mdwn
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@ -17,3 +17,41 @@ Please restore the old behaviour of using 'install' :-)
> executable. (Causes breakage with setup file creation code) I really > executable. (Causes breakage with setup file creation code) I really
> wish *BSD could get out of the 70's in this area.. > wish *BSD could get out of the 70's in this area..
> --[[Joey]] > --[[Joey]]
>> Well, really what's happening here is that *BSD (along with, for
>> example, Solaris) is adhering rather closely to the Single UNIX
>> Specification, whereas `-a` is a nonstandard option added to the
>> GNU variant of `cp` (a habit Richard Stallman never really got under
>> control). To install ikiwiki on Solaris I had to replace all uses not
>> only of `cp` but also of `install` and `xgettext` with the GNU
>> embrace-and-extend variants, and make sure I had those installed.
>> That really is a bit of a PITA.
>> I think there's an opportunity here for a really clean solution, though.
>> Why not do the installation in pure Perl?
>> The file manipulations being done by `cp` and `install` would be
>> straightforward to code in Perl, and there really isn't a complicated
>> build requiring the full functionality of `gmake`. `gxgettext` I'm
>> not so sure about, but even getting rid of _almost_ all the
>> nonstandard-utility dependencies would be a win.
>> The idea is that if you're distributing a Perl-based app, one thing
>> you'll always be absolutely certain of in the target environment is a
>> working Perl. The fact that the current build starts out in Perl, but
>> uses it to write a Makefile and then hand off to other utilities that
>> are less dependably compatible across platforms is a disadvantage.
>> A pure-Perl install can also query the very Perl it's running in to
>> determine the proper places to install files, and that will be less
>> error-prone that making a human edit the right paths into some files.
>> It would be quite useful here, actually, where we have several distinct
>> Perl builds installed at different paths, and ikiwiki could be correctly
>> installed for any one of them simply by using the chosen Perl to run the
>> install. That means this would also be a complete solution to
>> [[todo/assumes_system_perl|todo/assumes_system_perl]].
>> --ChapmanFlack