[gnu.utils.bug] Make question/request

scs@vax3.iti.org (Steve Simmons) (06/02/89)

Using gnumake 3.47 on a UNIX-PC.

I'm looking for a way to ease library (archive) handling when
building programs.  I've read TFM, and either am getting odd
performance or need to ask for a new feature in make.  Consider
the following situation:

Library foo.a contains bar.o.  Bar.o is built from bar.c.  Bar.c
is built from RCS/bar.c,v.  So in theory nothing needs to be done
if the bar.o in foo.a is newer than RCS/bar.c,v.  In practice,
I've not been able to cause this to happen.  The only reference
to bar.o in the makefile is
  
 foo.a: foo.a(bar.o)

with no explict dependancy.  Say 'make foo.a', and it'll extract
bar.c from RCS, compile it, and properly replace it in the archive.
Now delete bar.o and/or bar.c, say 'make foo.a', and all the
pieces get remade.  Is there a way I can supress those remakes
provided RCS/bar.c,v is newer than foo.a(bar.o)?


Steve Simmons         Just another midwestern boy
scs@vax3.iti.org  -- or -- ...!sharkey!itivax!scs
"Think of c++ as an object-oriented assembler..."