gettext-0.11.5: build failure on Compaq/DEC Alpha OSF/1 4.0

[Nelson H. F. Beebe]

The build of gettext-0.11.5 with gcc-2.95.3 on Compaq/DEC Alpha OSF/1 4.0
fails with this strange error:

        gcc -g -O2 -o .libs/gettext gettext.o ../lib/basename.o ../lib/error.o \
                ../lib/getopt.o ../lib/getopt1.o ../lib/strtoul.o 
../lib/xmalloc.o \
                ../intl/.libs/libintl.so -L/usr/local/lib -lc \
                /usr/local/lib/libiconv.so -Wl,-rpath -Wl,/usr/local/lib
        /usr/ccs/bin/ld:
        Unresolved:
        abort
        collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

The missing abort function IS found in /usr/lib/libc.a, and is referenced in
/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/alphaev56-dec-osf4.0f/2.95.3/libgcc.a.  Adding
the -v option shows the actual library search order:

        /usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/alphaev56-dec-osf4.0f/2.95.3/collect2 -G 8 -O3 \
                -call_shared -o .libs/gettext /usr/lib/cmplrs/cc/crt0.o \
                -L/usr/local/lib \
                -L/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/alphaev56-dec-osf4.0f/2.95.3 \
                -L/usr/lib/cmplrs/cc -L/usr/local/lib gettext.o \
                ../lib/basename.o ../lib/error.o ../lib/getopt.o \
                ../lib/getopt1.o ../lib/strtoul.o ../lib/xmalloc.o \
                ../intl/.libs/libintl.so -lc /usr/local/lib/libiconv.so -rpath \
                /usr/local/lib -lgcc -lc -lgcc

I tried running this collect2 command directly with -lc at the end,
and with /usr/lib/libc.a at the end, but abort is still unresolved.

I then switched to the native c89 compiler for a build in a
freshly-unpacked copy of the .tar.gz distribution file.  This time,
the build completed successfully, but there were a number of
suspicious test failures that make me disinclined to run "make
install":

        Couldn't set locale.
        SKIP: lang-c
        /usr/ccs/bin/ld:
        Unresolved:
        strcmp
        abort
        fprintf
        bzero
        collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
        FAIL: lang-c++

        26079:./usey: /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: cannot map librpathy.so
        make[3]: *** [check] Error 1
        FAIL: rpath-2bbd

        30503:./usez: /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: cannot map librpathy.so
        make[3]: *** [check] Error 1
        FAIL: rpath-3bbd

        4334:./usez: /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: cannot map librpathz.so
        make[3]: *** [check] Error 1
        FAIL: rpath-3bbf

        7268:./usez: /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: cannot map librpathz.so
        make[3]: *** [check] Error 1
        FAIL: rpath-3bbg

        10249:./usez: /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: cannot map librpathz.so
        make[3]: *** [check] Error 1
        FAIL: rpath-3bbh

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Nelson H. F. Beebe                    Tel: +1 801 581 5254                  -
- Center for Scientific Computing       FAX: +1 801 585 1640, +1 801 581 4148 -
- University of Utah                    Internet e-mail: address@hidden  -
- Department of Mathematics, 110 LCB        address@hidden  address@hidden -
- 155 S 1400 E RM 233                       address@hidden                    -
- Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA    URL: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe  -
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