[fedfs-utils] [PATCH v2 3/8] build: avoid automake warnings about AM_PROG_AR requirement

[Jim Meyering]

Chuck Lever wrote:
...
> Thanks for the research.  To decide whether this patch is generally
> applicable, I'm trying to understand how pervasive this problem is.  I
> think there are a few issues to consider:
>
>   1.  Will this still be a problem once fedfs-utils is converted to
> build dynamic libraries instead of static libraries?

If you don't use $(AR) that warning/error will not arise,
so if you eliminate all lines matching _LIBRARIES = ...\.a$
in all Makefile.am files, then you'll be ok.

>   2.  If this isn't an issue for dynamic libraries, then we only need
> to worry about 0.7.  Do we really need to be worried about 0.7
> building without warning with a version of automake that may be
> released after 0.7 is EOL'd?  I suppose disabling automake's
> extra-portability warnings is probably harmless in that case.

I hear that automake-1.11.2-beta is expected within weeks.
It'd be nice to work error-free with that.  An alternative is
to leave the warning, but to drop the use of -Werror.

>   3.  Is it possible to specify a POSIX archiver for linking the
> static libraries instead?

I don't know off hand, but considering the cost of using
-Wno-extra-portability, I don't think it's worth investigating.

>   4.  Can you say a little about what we lose by disabling automake's
> extra-portability warnings?

Next to nothing:

    @item extra-portability
    extra portability issues related to obscure tools.  One example of such
    a tool is the Microsoft @command{lib} archiver.