i found my patched version!

i am now compiling smail-3.1.28 on FreeBSD 1.0e.

the trick was in modifying conf/lib/mkdefs.sh to get around a bug in /bin/sh
with regards to IFS processing.

this patch also got smail running on NetBSD.

*** mkdefs.sh	Wed Nov 10 06:35:32 1993
--- mkdefs.sh.orig	Wed Nov 10 05:10:26 1993
***************
*** 476,493 ****
  
  # write out the positive boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo HAVE_$i=yes; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do
! # do not echo if i is "(null)"
! if test X != X$i
! then
! 	echo $i=yes
! fi
! done)
  
  # clear the negative boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $NO_HAVE; do echo HAVE_$i=; done)
  
- 
  # write the extensible set of variables that may have values
  (IFS="$sep"
    for i in $MISC_DEFINES; do
--- 476,486 ----
  
  # write out the positive boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo HAVE_$i=yes; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do echo $i=yes; done)
  
  # clear the negative boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $NO_HAVE; do echo HAVE_$i=; done)
  
  # write the extensible set of variables that may have values
  (IFS="$sep"
    for i in $MISC_DEFINES; do
***************
*** 621,633 ****
  
  # write out the positibe boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo "#define HAVE_$i"; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do
! # do not echo if i is "(null)"
! if test X != X$i
! then
! 	echo "#define $i"
! fi
! done)
  
  # clear the negative boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $NO_HAVE; do echo "#undef HAVE_$i"; done)
--- 614,620 ----
  
  # write out the positibe boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo "#define HAVE_$i"; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do echo "#define $i"; done)
  
  # clear the negative boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $NO_HAVE; do echo "#undef HAVE_$i"; done)
***************
*** 720,732 ****
  
  # write out the positive boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo "s|X_HAVE_${i}_X|yes|g"; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do
! # do not echo if i is "(null)"
! if test X != X$i
! then
! 	echo "s|X_${i}_X|yes|g"
! fi
! done)
  
  # If this OS cannot correctly use #!/bin/sh at the beginning of bourne
  # shell scripts, then convert them not to do this.
--- 707,713 ----
  
  # write out the positive boolean list variables
  (IFS="$sep"; for i in $HAVE; do echo "s|X_HAVE_${i}_X|yes|g"; done)
! (IFS="$sep"; for i in $OSNAMES; do echo "s|X_${i}_X|yes|g"; done)
  
  # If this OS cannot correctly use #!/bin/sh at the beginning of bourne
  # shell scripts, then convert them not to do this.



-- 
[ Jim Mercer   Reptilian Research  merce@iguana.reptiles.org  +1 416 506-0654 ]
[      "'Tis better to clutch a glowing squid than curse the darkness."       ]
[                                                     Archie McPhee Catalog   ]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------