the PERL make variable...

[Paul Chvostek]

Hiya.

I posted this to freebsd-ports a few days ago and got no response.
Perhaps someone here can lend an opinion.

On a number of occasions in the past, when creating ports of Perl
scripts, I've included a make target with something like:

post-patch:
    @${SED} '1s:/usr/bin/perl:${PERL}:' < ${_DISTDIR}${DISTFILES} > ${WRKSRC}/...

Most of these were originally submitted back in 4.x days, when PERL was
often /usr/local/bin/perl.

The handbook and bsd.port.mk are clear that the variable should be used
for shell magic.  But I submitted two new ports last week had this use
of PERL removed upon commit.  The committer claimed he didn't the
purpose of the PERL make variable, and that pointing to the perl binary
at /usr/bin/perl was the best way to go.

Almost 2000 ports use the PERL variable, and I haven't seen any
announcements indicating that it was going away.  Was the committer who
handled my ports just a little too eager to shrink the Makefiles?  :)

At this point, the ports are in, missing the post-patch target.  Should
they stay as-is, or I submit a change, or let them be until after the
upcoming release?

p


-- 
  Paul Chvostek                                             <paul at it.ca>
  it.canada, hosting and development                   http://www.it.ca/