Re: TAR variable no effect when tar-pax is used

[Karl Berry]

Hi Jan,

    But when you set `tar_pax` in AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE, this comes out:

I surmise that's left over from when the pax support was added.
I don't see any reason not to use $(TAR) there now.

It presumably shouldn't be too hard to fix. If you can devise a patch
(and ideally test case), that would be great. Else, it's on my list
.. someday :( ...

    Also, ${AMTAR} seems totally unused. Why is it even there?

As far as I can see, it is a relic of when AMTAR was used.
It seems it was added and then later removed in 1999:

1999-06-01  Alexandre Oliva  <oliva@dcc.unicamp.br>

        ...
        * m4/init.m4: Remove AMTAR-related stuff.
        ...

As you say, I see no use of it anywhere in the current source tree,
apart from its being defined in m4/tar.m4.  As far as I can see, can be
removed too. --thanks, karl.