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Re: AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE is obsolescent.
From: |
Harlan Stenn |
Subject: |
Re: AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE is obsolescent. |
Date: |
Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:27:50 +0000 |
Eric Blake wrote:
> According to Bob Friesenhahn on 4/9/2008 12:35 PM:
> | I am confused since I don't see how the usefullness of this test can be
> | obsolescent.
>
> The test was merely whether compilers support the type 'long double'; as
> all modern compilers obey this part of the C standard, it is no longer
> worth checking whether long double is syntactically valid, and rather just
> assuming that it is.
Are you *sure* that autoconf will not support any machine with a less
modern compiler?
> On the other hand, the properties of long double are still very much a
> portability nightmare, and many libm lack long double support even though
> the compiler supports a long double type. Gnulib has some macros that do
> much more extensive testing of long double's properies; you are better off
> using those macros than trying to make AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE learn all of these
> properties of the type.
Are you saying autoconf has a primary target audience of systems that
use gnulib?
> | I am also confused by the use of the term "current systems" since
> | perhaps it means some specific version of Linux/glibc rather than the
> | set of still running systems on which an autoconf configure script may
> | be executed. If autoconf is targeted toward "current systems" then a
> | definition of what this means (i.e. the criteria for which systems are
> | no longer supported) should be documented.
>
> Yes, current systems is intended to mean any system that an autoconf
> configure script will run on. It excludes platforms like Solaris 4, which
> are no longer supported by the vendor.
There are more older systems out there than SunOS4.
> At any rate, I am not opposed to re-adding AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE as a
> non-obsolescent macro if gnulib's approach is inadequate and if using the
> macro provides enough useful other properties that are still relevant in
> modern porting targets.
When you say "... and if using the macro provides ..." you mean
AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE then I feel a bit better. If you still intend that
autoconf should only care about systems that have gnulib then I am
concerned.
And I have not looked into this matter very deeply.
I do care very much that the packages I have autoconfiscated will
support the widest possible range of running systems.
H
Re: AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE is obsolescent., Bob Friesenhahn, 2008/04/09