Re: Core-utils 7.2; building only 'su'

[Eric Blake]

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[adding bug-autoconf]

According to Alfred M. Szmidt on 4/14/2009 3:43 AM:
>    from the ./configure documentation it seems like --prefix=/foo
>    would be preferred to destdir.
> 
> Not at all! The correct method is to use DESTDIR
> 
> 
> Using prefix in conjunction with `make install' is (almost) always
> wrong.
> 
> Problem is that configure cannot in all honesty document DESTDIR,
> since this is a variable that is passed only to make.  Indeed, if you
> are not using a Makefile, one could use any name for the variable
> prefix/exec_prefix/bindir/...

Hmmm.  Would it be worth changing autoconf to make './configure --help'
state something like the following:

| Some influential environment variables:
|   ...
|   DESTDIR    leave unset during configure; allows installation to
|              specify a staging area different than the final prefix

Perhaps even issue a warning if DESTDIR is set during configure time?  Or
would this proposal just cause more problems?

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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