Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!bwdls61!bwdls56!fortinp
From: fortinp@bwdls56.bnr.ca (Pierre Fortin)
Subject: Configure(perl) problems
Message-ID: <1991Feb13.234330.22976@bwdls61.bnr.ca>
Keywords: awk sh(read)
Sender: usenet@bwdls61.bnr.ca (Use Net)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 23:43:30 GMT

Has anyone tried setting up perl (by Larry Wahl) on MINIX?

On MINIX ST 1.5.10.3, I have the following problems just trying
to get the Configure program to run:

1.  Where Configure tries to run awk to verify the files, I get 
    a message like "awk: too many arguments" (I don't recall the 
    exact text).  I traced this as far back as the E2BIG error
    coming from the library.  OK, easy bypass:  comment out that 
    line.  

2.  Configure has a "while" loop which gets executed continuously
    until the system complains about too many files opened.  :^(
    This one is nasty;  I traced it to the shell "read" command 
    which appears to get skipped/executed depending on which 
    part of the Configure code it's in.  The strange part is that 
    apparently identical code in one section works, while it fails
    in another.  In the case where it fails, "read ans" leaves
    $ans completely untouched.

    So far, I've not been able to determine the magic incantation
    which decides whether "read" will work/fail; it's certainly not
    obvious (to me anyway).  

Has anyone managed to get past the Configure program on perl (or any
other program) on a current version of MINIX?

I will appreciate any assistance...
Cheers,                      
Pierre Fortin       fortinp@bnr.ca         (613)763-2598