On Tue, Feb 18, 2003 at 05:38:25PM -0600, Frederick Bruckman wrote:
  | >   | 2) I would like a "-c" or "-C" option to set NOCLEANDIR, and to not
  | >   | run any explicit "clean" targets. "-u" has "interesting"
  | >   | consequences when $DESTDIR is empty, and I'd like to not have to deal
  | >   | with that, when I only want to skip the "clean" phase (because I know
  | >   | the tree is already cleaned). It could be useful for kernel=, too.
  | >
  | > What are the `` "interesting" consequences '' of -u (UPDATE) on an
  | > empty $DESTDIR ?  (Fwiw: I use UPDATE all the time)
  | 
  | All the scripts (every file that's not generated, in fact), get
  | installed with the same modified time as the file in the checkout, or
  | at least, that's how it used to work.

I need to investigate this more before commenting further.


  | In the past, I have (foolishly) removed all files older than a
  | time-stamp file made before the build started, and UPDATE isn't my
  | friend anymore. I recall at least one other user posting to the
  | lists who had done exactly the same thing. The failure mode when
  | "true", "false", and "nroff" are missing is puzzling, to say the
  | least.

Ouch!


  | Even if you never do anything that stupid, it's nice to be able to
  | scan through the directories with "ls -alt" to see which files are
  | obsolete.

"/etc/postinstall check obsolete" :-)