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

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   from the ./configure documentation it seems like --prefix=/foo
   would be preferred to destdir.

Not at all! The correct method is to use DESTDIR, if you do:

./configure --prefix=$FOO --exec-prefix=$BAR

and then do:

make install prefix=$PWD/inst

_ALL_ exec_prefix files (i.e. all arch. dependant files, executables,
libraries, etc) will be installed in $PWD/inst, while all
arch. independant files will be installed in $FOO.  DESTDIR is
prepended to all installation targets only at `make install' time.

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/...

Cheers from Alfred who gets a nervous tick when he sees people use prefix...