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From: billj@zaphod.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: "make" SHELL variable
Message-ID: <1201@zaphod.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Feb-87 22:16:16 EST
Article-I.D.: zaphod.1201
Posted: Sat Feb 21 22:16:16 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Mar-87 13:45:00 EST
References: <3953@brl-adm.ARPA> <2590002@hpisod2.HP>
Reply-To: billj@zaphod.UUCP (Bill Jones)
Organization: Develcon Electronics, Saskatoon SK Canada
Lines: 28
Summary: de-facto Nmake standard is MAKESHELL

In article <8139@watdaisy.UUCP> dvadura@watdaisy.UUCP (Dennis Vadura) writes:
>It is in these instances that it would be
>advantageous to have make read the SHELL variable or MAKE_SHELL variable
>(what you really call it makes little difference) from the environment.

The AT&T Toolchest Nmake, which we're using here, looks in MAKESHELL
and secondarily SHELL for the shell to use.  In both cases, an
assignment in the Makefile or on the command line overrides the
environment.  Nmake is supposed to be bought after the Korn shell,
which should remove the problem about your interactive shell being
unsuitable, but the separate variable is nice for renegades like us who
haven't bought Ksh yet and still use the Bourne shell in Makefiles and
C shell interactively.  In keeping with the sentiments expressed
earlier, Nmake here has been restrained from importing SHELL for now.

>I propose, and have implemented the following rules for a version of make
>that is soon to be released.  This make is an attempt at unifying those
>features of most use found in unix make, adding some features not
>found in any unix make...

Nmake does all sorts of Neat Stuff (including, as ken@rochester.ARPA
wished for, conditional macros).  Have you looked at it to see if
you're reinventing the wheel?  There's a paper in the Summer '85 Usenix
proceedings; or see the on-line Toolchest description at (201) 522-6900,
login "guest".
-- 
Bill Jones, Develcon Electronics, 856 51 St E, Saskatoon S7K 5C7 Canada
uucp:  ...ihnp4!sask!zaphod!billj                phone:  (306) 931-1504