autoconf 2.62

[Ralf Corsepius]

On Mon, 2008-07-07 at 15:05 -0700, Till Straumann wrote:
> Ralf.
> 
> I saw this thread
> 
> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-autoconf/2008-04/msg00028.html
> 
> and apparently you now use autoconf 2.62 on the CVS head (what
> is to become 4.9).
Correct.

I could not avoid to upgrade to 2.62, because RTEMS's configuration is
victim of a couple of incompatibilities between autoconf-2.62 and 2.61.

> Unfortunately, our site uses RHEL4 and I'm stuck.

Also correct. Upstream autoconf has made a couple of unfortunate
decisions, which render autoconf-2.62 non-applicable on
ultra-conservative distros such as RHEL4.

A corresponding request to upgrade RHEL4's (broken and defective) gm4, I
filed at RedHat in April
(https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=443958)
so far has remained without any results.

It might have escaped you, but this issue already had forced me to
abandon RTEMS-4.9 toolchain support for RHEL4 some time ago 
(in April or May).

>  Do I now have to build + install gm4?
That's one option. 

The best alternative would be RH to upgrade RHEL4's gm4. Yet another
alternative would be us to ship a modern gm4 to replace RHEL4's gm4.

Yet another alternative would be users to switch the distro :/
As I see it: RHEL4 is a server-OS, which gradually is showing its age
and meanwhile has evolved into "too outdated"/"non-suitable" for
forward-looking development purposes.

>  Any chance to remain with autoconf 2.61 for
> the 4.9 release?
Hardly possible.

We have to choose between 2 evils: Stick with antiquated versions of SW
with known defects or abandon supporting antiquated/ultra-conservative
host-OSes with known defects.

Ralf