Subject: Re: new feature for src/usr.bin/make: read-only variables
To: None <tech-userlevel@NetBSD.org, tech-pkg@NetBSD.org>
From: Roland Illig <rillig@NetBSD.org>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 09/05/2005 12:38:05
Johan Danielsson wrote:
> Roland Illig <rillig@NetBSD.org> writes:
>>This patch adds a new feature to make(1). Variables can be marked
>>read-only, so there is no chance of overwriting them accidentally.
> 
> Is new features really what make needs?

Maybe make itself doesn't need it, but it is also used for pkgsrc, which 
involves far more than 1000 variables with partly ad-hoc and 
inconsistent naming conventions.

I intended it merely as a checker that when you have defined a variable, 
you can be sure that no further write attempts occur. That way you don't 
have to grep through megabytes of code (it's really that much) to see 
where your variable is modified.

As others already suggested, make(1) has not been intended as a 
programming language, so maybe pkgsrc is just using the wrong tool to do 
its job.

Roland