Re: Tests that fail due to iconv()

[Bruno Haible]

Avis, Ed wrote:
> When running 'make check' for gettext-0.12.1 (on SunOS 5.8
> Generic_108528-15 sun4u sparc SUNW), I saw some failures and warnings like
> the following:
>
> msgcat: mcat-test1.in1: warning: Charset "ISO-8859-1" is not supported.
> msgcat relies on iconv(), and iconv() does not support "ISO-8859-1".
> Installing GNU libiconv and then reinstalling GNU gettext would fix this
> problem.

This warning is both normal (in your case) and justified.

> Surely if a particular iconv() feature needed, the configure script should
> check for this?

GNU gettext optimally works with a reliable and IANA standards compliant
iconv(). Whether GNU gettext is still usable without it, depends on your
intended use of the gettext programs.

> Then either the user can be prompted to install GNU libiconv

Configure scripts should be non-interactive and not "prompt the user".

> or at least certain tests can be 'skipped on this platform'
> rather than failed.

If I did this, you would get the wrong impression that the gettext binaries
without a good iconv() are well usable, which is not necessarily the case.

Bruno