GNU bug report logs - #9822
AMTAR not used

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Akim Demaille <akim.demaille <at> gmail.com>
To: Automake Bugs <bug-automake <at> gnu.org>
Subject: AMTAR not used
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:07:53 +0200

Hi all,

My apologies if this has already been discussed.  

I too have been hit by the fact that Tar on OS X tries to preserve special features of files in "hidden" files (a thread about this started here: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2011-03/msg00127.html, and seems to end here: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2011-04/msg00001.html).

There are several means to address this, one being defining a couple of envvars before calling OS X's tar (as discussed above), the other being using GNU Tar.

Unfortunately 1.11.1 generates code like this:

AMTAR = ${SHELL} /Users/akim/src/gostai/kernel-2.7/build-aux/missing --run tar
...
am__tar = tar --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
am__untar = tar -xf -

(I cannot see AMTAR being used.)  I would prefer to have something like

TAR = tar
AMTAR = ${SHELL} /Users/akim/[...]/build-aux/missing --run ${TAR}
am__tar = $(AMTAR) --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
am__untar = $(AMTAR) -xf -

so that I can "make dist TAR=gnutar" and have magic happen.  This would also require that missing understands gnutar in addition to tar, possibly qualified.  Or missing could be extended to have one flag for the "class" of the program (this is a "tar", a constant string), and then --run which gives the command line starting with the genuine command (/opt/local/bin/gnumake for my example).

Alternatively, if AMTAR is not useful (as it seems in 1.11.1), then

TAR = tar
am__tar = $(TAR) --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
am__untar = $(TAR) -xf -

would be fine!

Cheers!

PS/  Actually if AMTAR/TAR could also set the two troublesome envvars, that would be wonderful :)

Message #8 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-automake <at> gnu.org
Cc: Akim Demaille <akim.demaille <at> gmail.com>, 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#9822: AMTAR not used
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 11:13:58 +0100

Hi Akim, thanks for the report.

On Friday 21 October 2011, Akim Demaille wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> My apologies if this has already been discussed.  
>
> I too have been hit by the fact that Tar on OS X tries to preserve
> special features of files in "hidden" files (a thread about this
> started here: 
>  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2011-03/msg00127.html>
> and seems to end here: 
>  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2011-04/msg00001.html>
> 
> There are several means to address this, one being defining a
> couple of envvars before calling OS X's tar (as discussed above),
> the other being using GNU Tar.
> 
> Unfortunately 1.11.1 generates code like this:
> 
> AMTAR = ${SHELL} /Users/akim/src/gostai/kernel-2.7/build-aux/missing --run tar
> ...
> am__tar = tar --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
> am__untar = tar -xf -
> 
> (I cannot see AMTAR being used.)  I would prefer to have something like
> 
> TAR = tar
> AMTAR = ${SHELL} /Users/akim/[...]/build-aux/missing --run ${TAR}
> am__tar = $(AMTAR) --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
> am__untar = $(AMTAR) -xf -
> 
> so that I can "make dist TAR=gnutar" and have magic happen.
> This would also require that missing understands gnutar in addition to
> tar, possibly qualified.  Or missing could be extended to have one flag
> for the "class" of the program (this is a "tar", a constant string),
> and then --run which gives the command line starting with the genuine
> command (/opt/local/bin/gnumake for my example).
> 
> Alternatively, if AMTAR is not useful (as it seems in 1.11.1), then
> 
> TAR = tar
> am__tar = $(TAR) --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
> am__untar = $(TAR) -xf -
> 
> would be fine!
>
I'd prefer to go with this latter option (starting from automake 1.12,
to minimize backward-compatibility issues).  My opinion is that:

 1. "make dist" is a maintainer-specific command, so we can expect the
    user that issues it to either have a powerful-enough tar, or to
    install GNU tar.

 2. the `missing' script real purpose (and IMHO it's only purpose)
    should be that of allowing a non-developer to build a package
    from a ditribution tarball in the face of slightly-skewed
    timestamps, *not* to provide wrappers for all the maintainer
    tools -- so that using `missing' to wrap `tar' invocations
    seems fishy to me.

> Cheers!
> 
> PS/  Actually if AMTAR/TAR could also set the two troublesome envvars,
> that would be wonderful :)
> 
That could be done for automake 1.11.2 as well.  Do you have working
links to documentation/explanation of such environment variables?

Also, a testcase (aimed at excercising the real OS X tar) would be
lovely ;-)

Regards,
  Stefano

Message #14 received at 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Akim Demaille <akim.demaille <at> gmail.com>, 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#9822: AMTAR not used
Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:48:12 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Reference:
  <http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=9822>

So here is a proposed patch (for maint).  I will push in 72 hours if there is no
objection.

Regards,
  Stefano

[0001-dist-do-not-wrap-calls-to-tar-with-the-missing-scrip.patch (text/x-diff, attachment)]

Message #17 received at 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Akim Demaille <akim.demaille <at> gmail.com>, 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#9822: AMTAR not used
Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:55:37 +0100

On 01/03/2012 04:48 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> Reference:
>   <http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=9822>
> 
> So here is a proposed patch (for maint).  I will push in 72 hours if there
> is no objection.
> 
Pushed now.

Regards,
  Stefano

Message #20 received at 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Karl Berry <karl <at> freefriends.org>
To: 9822 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#9822: AMTAR not used
Date: Mon, 25 May 2020 19:31:16 -0600

    akim> TAR = tar
    > am__tar = $(TAR) --format=ustar -chf - "$$tardir"
    > am__untar = $(TAR) -xf -
    > would be fine!
    
    stefano> I'd prefer to go with this latter option

As far as I can tell, all that was left to do here is to document the
use of the TAR environment variable in Automake to override "tar" for
"make dist". I just pushed a change for that. It seems the code has been
in place since 1.11.3, judging by the NEWS file.

akim> PS/  Actually if AMTAR/TAR could also set the two troublesome envvars,
akim> that would be wonderful :)

The two troublesome envvars being, I guess, the Mac-specific
COPY_EXTENDED_ATTRIBUTES_DISABLE and COPYFILE_DISABLE,
per https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2011-03/msg00135.html.
But I don't much want to fiddle around with MacOSX envvars that may or
may not still work, and might easily be changed or removed at any time.

So ... closing. --best, karl.

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