Re: [Groff] Compression support for files?

[Keith Marshall]

On 17/07/14 21:05, Steffen Nurpmeso wrote:
>  |[*] 'RM = rm -f' is defined, as a standard default, by GNU make; by
>  |defining it in our makefiles, we extend this feature to other make
>  |implementations.  It isn't MS-Windows which requires this.  99 times out
>  |of 100, I will surely accept the default, but on that other one
>  |occasion, *on my linux box*, I may just want to override it with
> 
> Not with GNU make.

Huh?  Now you've utterly destroyed any chance you may have had of
gaining my confidence ...

  $ make --version
  GNU Make 3.81
  Copyright (C) 2006  Free Software Foundation, Inc.
  This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.
  There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
  PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

  This program built for x86_64-pc-linux-gnu

  $ mkdir mt
  $ cd mt
  $ make -p | grep rm
  make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found.  Stop.
  RM = rm -f
  ...

It has been thus, in every version of GNU make which I have used.

>  |  make RM='rm -i' ...
>  |
>  |or even
>  |
>  |  make RM='echo rm -f' ...
> 
> make -n (unless prefixed with `+').

which may be considered too noisy ...

> You can always place something in the $PATH first which does
> exactly what you want.

which certainly isn't particularly convenient ...

Don't bother to reply -- I've no further interest in your facetious and
uninformed efforts to avoid the pertinent issues; with a cursory glance
at your patch, the very first hunk I see is:

1) completely unrelated to your purported intent;
2) completely unnecessary, (and IMCO undesirable);
3) destructive, in so far as it defeats a default feature
   which I, as a GNU make user, expect to be supported.

-- 
Regards,
Keith.