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Re: function.c, unlink, copy
From: |
Paul D. Smith |
Subject: |
Re: function.c, unlink, copy |
Date: |
Wed, 28 Sep 2005 17:25:32 -0400 |
%% David Boyce <address@hidden> writes:
db> I previously sent in a one-line patch which adds this (it's a
db> one-liner because the value is already calculated for build
db> purposes; it's just a matter of "promoting" it into the binary as
db> a make variable). But the patch wasn't accepted,
It might get in yet.
>> But the other thing that i really want to ask for: Wouldn't it be
>> useful to have a function like "unlink" or "copy" added, i use them
>> very often, shouldn't that help others too? Then you would have
>> these functions available on ALL platforms.
db> That makes sense at first glance, at least for unlink. But when
db> you try to carry it to more constructive activities things quickly
db> get complicated. Should a copy() function preserve time stamps a
db> la cp -p or not? What about permissions? Should it behave the same
db> on all platforms or like cp on Unix and like "copy" on Windows?
db> What about resource forks on Mac OSX? What about recursive copies
db> of directories? Etc.
I've made the following comment before, to not very much comment--so
maybe people hate it, I don't know :-)
IMO a portable environment like this isn't the responsibility of make.
Make has a very specific, circumscribed set of responsibilities. What I
think would be very cool would be for people to work on porting
something like busybox to other platforms (at least as much as that
makes sense: some applets in busybox are obviously UNIX-specific).
Armed with something like that all you have to do is something along the
lines of:
SHELL = busybox
and Bob's your uncle!
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul D. Smith <address@hidden> Find some GNU make tips at:
http://www.gnu.org http://make.paulandlesley.org
"Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist