COPTFLAGS (not?) only for compiling the kernel?

[platanthera]

On Friday 14 May 2004 00:03, Giorgos Keramidas wrote:
> On 2004-05-13 23:29, platanthera <platanthera at web.de> wrote:
> > [/etc/make.conf]
> > ...
> > # To compile just the kernel with special optimizations, you should
> > use # this instead of CFLAGS (which is not applicable to kernel
> > builds anyway). # There is very little to gain by using higher
> > optimization levels, and doing # so can cause problems.
> > #
> > COPTFLAGS= [whatever]
> > ...
> >
> > just the kernel... sounds like COPTFLAGS setting should not effect
> > world or port builds, but apparently it does.
> > Or do I misunderstand something?
>
> Yes, you do.  But I'm sure that you will find the make.conf(5)
> manpage very informative and useful.  

not really. it says
...
The /etc/make.conf file is included from the appropriate Makefile which      
specifies the default settings for all the available options.  Options 
need only be specified in /etc/make.conf when the system administrator
wishes to override these defaults.
...


and in (/usr/share/examples)/etc/make.conf you can find
..
# CFLAGS controls the compiler settings used when compiling C code
...
#CFLAGS= -O -pipe
...
# To compile just the kernel with special optimizations, you should use
# this instead of CFLAGS (which is not applicable to kernel builds 
anyway).
...
#COPTFLAGS= -O -pipe
...

to my understanding this explains what CFLAGS/COPTFLAGS are intended for 
and _implies_ you'd have to uncomment the flag definitions 
in /etc/make.conf to set them active, otherwise the settings specified 
in the respective Makefile would be used.

I had explicitly specified COPTFLAGS (-O -pipe) but not CFLAGS and saw 
-O overriding -O2 when compiling a port...

quite confusing that uncommenting the example settings in make.conf 
changes exactly nothing, since these are the (undocumented?) system 
defaults anyway. probably a doc issue? 
- or just my stupidity .-)