Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 23:18:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: Aaron Ucko <UCKO AT VAX1 DOT ROCKHURST DOT EDU>
Subject: Re: bug in djgpp's make
To: turnbull AT shako DOT sk DOT tsukuba DOT ac DOT jp
Cc: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Organization: Rockhurst College; Kansas City, MO

>   It shouldn't do the echo hi.  Instead, it should stop once an error
>   happens.  In general, when there's a DOS command that redirects
>   standard input or output in the makefile, and that command gets an
>   error, it continues the make, and the error probably goes unnoticed.
>
>Does this depend on the shell being used?  When DJGPP make encounters
>a redirection or the like, it passes the command line to the shell.  I
>*assume* (but can't verify at the moment, I'm on Linux :) that shells
>(including COMMAND.COM) return a useful exit status, but....
You, of all people, make such an assumption?  Command.com, AFAIK, may
not even be smart enough to return a nonzero exit code if it's the
guilty party (e.g. somebody types "proggy < foo" when foo doesn't
exist).  I believe 4dos may be sufficiently intelligent (it even
globs properly!) to return a nonzero status in the scenario command.com
fails to handle properly.

>   By the way, the version of make in pub/msdos/gnuish/gmake371.zip on
>   oak.oakland.edu doesn't share this bug.
>
>I seem to recall that gnuish make ca. ver. 2.5 used to contain code do
>redirections itself.  That's why I wonder if the secondary shell used
>by DJGPP make is returning a proper exit status.
Given that datum, command.com is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

--- Aaron Ucko (ucko AT vax1 DOT rockhurst DOT edu; finger for PGP public key) -=- httyp!
-=*=-Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.-=*=-
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