Re: gdb and ancient GNU autotools

["Tomasz Kłoczko via Gdb" <gdb@sourceware.org>]

On Sat, 24 Feb 2024 at 16:53, Sam James <sam@gentoo.org> wrote:
[..]

> > Literally NONE Linux distribution currently provides that version so in
> > case of any necessity to fix something in autoconf it is NOT POSSIBLE to
> > regenerate GNU autotools files.
> >
>
> This is wrong, per above.
>

Did you try to make a simple experiment to clone for example gdb repo and
execute "autoreconf -fiv"?

I've done that with autoconf 2.72, automake 1.16 and libtool 2.4.7 and here
is the result:
```
+ cd gdb-14.1
+ autoreconf -fiv
autoreconf: export WARNINGS=
autoreconf: Entering directory '.'
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gettext
autoreconf: running: aclocal --force
autoreconf: configure.ac: tracing
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Libtool
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Intltool
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gtkdoc
autoreconf: running: /usr/bin/autoconf --force
configure.ac:1424: warning: The macro 'AC_CHECK_TOOL_PREFIX' is obsolete.
configure.ac:1424: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/programs.m4:184: AC_CHECK_TOOL_PREFIX is expanded from...
config/acx.m4:391: ACX_PROG_GNAT is expanded from...
configure.ac:1424: the top level
configure.ac:1683: warning: The macro 'AC_TRY_COMPILE' is obsolete.
configure.ac:1683: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2845: AC_TRY_COMPILE is expanded from...
lib/m4sugar/m4sh.m4:697: AS_IF is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2821: _AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2837: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
configure.ac:1683: the top level
configure.ac:1701: warning: The macro 'AC_TRY_COMPILE' is obsolete.
configure.ac:1701: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2845: AC_TRY_COMPILE is expanded from...
lib/m4sugar/m4sh.m4:697: AS_IF is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2821: _AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2837: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
configure.ac:1701: the top level
configure.ac:1718: warning: The macro 'AC_TRY_COMPILE' is obsolete.
configure.ac:1718: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2845: AC_TRY_COMPILE is expanded from...
lib/m4sugar/m4sh.m4:697: AS_IF is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2821: _AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2837: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE is expanded from...
configure.ac:1718: the top level
configure.ac:1888: warning: The macro 'AC_TRY_LINK' is obsolete.
configure.ac:1888: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:2918: AC_TRY_LINK is expanded from...
config/isl.m4:98: ISL_CHECK_VERSION is expanded from...
configure.ac:1888: the top level
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Autoheader
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Automake
autoreconf: './config.sub' is updated
autoreconf: './config.guess' is updated
autoreconf: './install-sh' is updated
autoreconf: Leaving directory '.'
+ /usr/bin/mkdir full minimal
+ cd full
+ ASMFLAGS='-m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables
-fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -O2 -g -grecord-gcc-switches -pipe
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -fno-omit-frame-pointer
-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections
-fstack-protector-strong -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
-flto=auto -Wp,-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=3
-Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -Wall -Werror=format-security'
+ CFLAGS='-m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables
-fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -O2 -g -grecord-gcc-switches -pipe
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -fno-omit-frame-pointer
-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections
-fstack-protector-strong -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
-flto=auto -Wp,-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=3
-Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -Wall -Werror=format-security '
+ CXXFLAGS='-m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables
-fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -O2 -g -grecord-gcc-switches -pipe
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -fno-omit-frame-pointer
-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections
-fstack-protector-strong -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
-flto=auto -Wp,-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=3
-Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -Wall -Werror=format-security
-DDNF_DEBUGINFO_INSTALL -DNEED_DETACH_SIGSTOP'
+ FFLAGS='-m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables
-fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -O2 -g -grecord-gcc-switches -pipe
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -fno-omit-frame-pointer
-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections
-fstack-protector-strong -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
-flto=auto -Wp,-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=3
-Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -Wall -Werror=format-security
-I/usr/lib64/gfortran/modules'
+ FCFLAGS='-m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables
-fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -O2 -g -grecord-gcc-switches -pipe
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -fno-omit-frame-pointer
-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections
-fstack-protector-strong -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
-flto=auto -Wp,-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=3
-Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -Wall -Werror=format-security
-I/usr/lib64/gfortran/modules'
+ LDFLAGS='-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -Wl,--gc-sections
-Wl,--as-needed -Wl,--build-id=sha1 -Wl,-z,now
-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -Wl,-z,pack-relative-relocs
-flto=auto -fuse-linker-plugin  -DDNF_DEBUGINFO_INSTALL
-DNEED_DETACH_SIGSTOP'
+ RUSTFLAGS='-C codegen-units=1 -C debuginfo=2 -C opt-level=2 -C
link-arg=-Wl,--as-needed -C link-arg=-Wl,--build-id=sha1 -C
link-arg=-Wl,-z,now -C
link-arg=-specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -C
link-arg=-Wl,-z,pack-relative-relocs -C link-arg=-Wl,-z,relro -C
link-arg=-flto=auto --cap-lints=warn'
+ VALAFLAGS=-g
+ CC=/usr/bin/gcc
+ CXX=/usr/bin/g++
+ FC=/usr/bin/gfortran
+ AR=/usr/bin/gcc-ar
+ NM=/usr/bin/gcc-nm
+ RANLIB=/usr/bin/gcc-ranlib
+ export ASMFLAGS CFLAGS CXXFLAGS FFLAGS FCFLAGS LDFLAGS VALAFLAGS CC CXX
FC AR NM RANLIB RUSTFLAGS VALAFLAGS
+ ../configure --bindir=/usr/bin --build=x86_64-redhat-linux
--datadir=/usr/share --disable-dependency-tracking --exec-prefix=/usr
--host=x86_64-redhat-linux --includedir=/usr/include
--infodir=/usr/share/info --libdir=/usr/lib64 --libexecdir=/usr/libexec
--localstatedir=/var --mandir=/usr/share/man --prefix=/usr
--program-prefix= --runstatedir=/run --sbindir=/usr/sbin
--sharedstatedir=/var/lib --sysconfdir=/etc --disable-libmcheck
--disable-rpath --disable-sim --enable-64-bit-bfd --enable-build-with-cxx
--enable-targets=s390-linux-gnu,powerpc-linux-gnu,arm-linux-gnu,aarch64-linux-gnu
--enable-tui --enable-unit-tests --sysconfdir=/etc
'--with-auto-load-dir=$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load/usr/share/gdb/auto-load'
'--with-auto-load-safe-path=$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load/usr/share/gdb/auto-load'
--with-babeltrace --with-debuginfod --with-expat
--with-gdb-datadir=/usr/share/gdb --with-lzma --without-guile
--without-libexpat-prefix --without-libunwind --without-mpfr
--without-stage1-ldflags --with-python=/usr/bin/python3
--with-rpm=librpm.so.10 --with-separate-debug-dir=/usr/lib/debug
--with-system-gdbinit=/etc/gdbinit --with-system-readline
--with-system-zlib --with-xxhash --disable-werror --disable-inprocess-agent
--with-intel-pt
checking build system type... x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
checking host system type... x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
checking target system type... x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether ln works... yes
checking whether ln -s works... yes
checking for a sed that does not truncate output... /usr/bin/sed
checking for gawk... gawk
checking for gdbserver support... yes
checking for x86_64-redhat-linux-gcc... /usr/bin/gcc
checking whether the C compiler works... yes
checking for C compiler default output file name... a.out
checking for suffix of executables...
checking whether we are cross compiling... no
checking for suffix of object files... o
checking whether the compiler supports GNU C... yes
checking whether /usr/bin/gcc accepts -g... yes
checking for /usr/bin/gcc option to enable C11 features... none needed
checking whether the compiler supports GNU C++... yes
checking whether /usr/bin/g++ accepts -g... yes
checking for /usr/bin/g++ option to enable C++11 features... none needed
checking whether g++ accepts -static-libstdc++ -static-libgcc... no
checking for x86_64-redhat-linux-gnatbind... no
checking for gnatbind... no
checking for x86_64-redhat-linux-gnatmake... no
checking for gnatmake... no
checking whether compiler driver understands Ada and is recent enough... no
checking for x86_64-redhat-linux-gdc... no
checking for gdc... no
checking whether the D compiler works... no
checking how to compare bootstrapped objects... cmp --ignore-initial=16
$$f1 $$f2
checking for objdir... .libs
../configure: line 9178: syntax error near unexpected token `,'
../configure: line 9178: `  _au_m4_changequote(,)cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF
>conftest.$ac_ext'
```

And autoconf 2.69 has been released (sic!) ONLY TWELVE years ago ..

kloczek
-- 
Tomasz Kłoczko | LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/FXPWxH