Regression in make 3.81, still present in rc2

[Bertrand Mollinier Toublet]

Hello,

I have identified what I think is a regression in make 3.81*. I just 
verified it to still be present in rc2. I have searched the open bugs 
and the mailing list archive, but have not found references to a similar 
issue. If they exist, can you please point them out to me :-)

Now to the issue itself: it has to do with -include-ing Makefiles and 
unsatisfied dependencies.

Consider the following Makefile:
-----Makefile----8<------------------
.SUFFIXES:

-include baz

foo:
        touch $@
-----Makefile----8<------------------

The file baz has a content similar to what a real-life source-file.d 
source dependency file would contain:

-----baz---------8<------------------
foo baz: bar
-----baz---------8<------------------

The file bar does not exist on the file system.

When executing the Makefile with make 3.80, make complains, when it 
wants attempts to rebuild the included makefile baz, that the dependency 
bar is missing and that it does not now how to make it:

$ make --version
GNU Make 3.80
$ make
make: *** No rule to make target `bar', needed by `baz'.  Stop.
$ make -d
Reading makefiles...
Reading makefile `Makefile'...
Reading makefile `baz' (search path) (don't care) (no ~ expansion)...
Updating makefiles....
 Considering target file `baz'.
  Looking for an implicit rule for `baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `baz,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/baz,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `s.baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `SCCS/s.baz'.
  No implicit rule found for `baz'.
   Considering target file `bar'.
    File `bar' does not exist.
    Looking for an implicit rule for `bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `bar,v'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/bar,v'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `s.bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `SCCS/s.bar'.
    No implicit rule found for `bar'.
    Finished prerequisites of target file `bar'.
   Must remake target `bar'.
make: *** No rule to make target `bar', needed by `baz'.  Stop.

Arguably, this behavior is not necessarily correct, as baz is included 
with '-include' instead of 'include', so that errors during the 
processing of the inclusion should be silently ignored.

I guess that make 3.81* attempted to correct this behavior, but did not 
go all the way:

$ make --version
GNU Make 3.81rc2
$ make
<no output(!) final target 'foo' is not made>
$ echo $?
2
<make silently fails with error code 2>
$ make -d
Reading makefiles...
Reading makefile `Makefile'...
Reading makefile `baz' (search path) (don't care) (no ~ expansion)...
Updating makefiles....
 Considering target file `baz'.
  Looking for an implicit rule for `baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `baz,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/baz,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `s.baz'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `baz'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `SCCS/s.baz'.
  No implicit rule found for `baz'.
   Considering target file `bar'.
    File `bar' does not exist.
    Looking for an implicit rule for `bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `bar,v'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/bar,v'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `s.bar'.
    Trying pattern rule with stem `bar'.
    Trying implicit prerequisite `SCCS/s.bar'.
    No implicit rule found for `bar'.
    Finished prerequisites of target file `bar'.
   Must remake target `bar'.
   Failed to remake target file `bar'.
  Finished prerequisites of target file `baz'.
 Giving up on target file `baz'.
 Considering target file `Makefile'.
  Looking for an implicit rule for `Makefile'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `Makefile'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `Makefile,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `Makefile'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/Makefile,v'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `Makefile'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `RCS/Makefile'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `Makefile'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `s.Makefile'.
  Trying pattern rule with stem `Makefile'.
  Trying implicit prerequisite `SCCS/s.Makefile'.
  No implicit rule found for `Makefile'.
  Finished prerequisites of target file `Makefile'.
 No need to remake target `Makefile'.
Updating goal targets....
Considering target file `foo'.
 File `foo' does not exist.
  Pruning file `bar'.
 Finished prerequisites of target file `foo'.
Giving up on target file `foo'.

When trying to update the makefiles, make is not able to rebuild baz 
because of the missing dependency bar, which it does not know how to 
make. Because of the '-include', this failure is correctly silently ignored.

However, when later make attempts to build the final target foo, it 
prunes the missing dependency bar (I guess this is OK: the result of 
attempting to make that one is already known), but fails to report that 
it does not know how to build the missing dependency.

So, from there, my questions are:
 - is this actually a known issue? (and if yes, can someone please 
indicate me where to look for it)
 - if not, is there an agreement that this is indeed a bug?
 - if yes, I will enter a new bug on the project page.

Thanks,
--
Bertrand Mollinier Toublet | Sigma Designs, inc.