linux-kernel - Re: [RFC] Increase Minimal GNU Make version for Linux Kernel from 3.80 to 3.81

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Date:   Wed, 03 May 2017 07:42:05 -0600
From:   "Jan Beulich" <JBeulich@...e.com>
To:     "Michal Marek" <MMarek@...e.com>
Cc:     "Ingo Molnar" <mingo@...nel.org>,
        "Andrew Morton" <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        "Linus Torvalds" <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        "Greg Kroah-Hartman" <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        "Jonathan Corbet" <corbet@....net>,
        "Thierry Reding" <treding@...dia.com>,
        "Sam Ravnborg" <sam@...nborg.org>,
        "Masahiro Yamada" <yamada.masahiro@...ionext.com>,
        "Linux Kbuild mailing list" <linux-kbuild@...r.kernel.org>,
        "Linux Kernel Mailing List" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [RFC] Increase Minimal GNU Make version for Linux Kernel
 from 3.80 to 3.81

>>> On 03.05.17 at 15:29, <MMarek@...e.com> wrote:
> On 2017-05-03 08:46, Masahiro Yamada wrote:
>> Hello Linus and Kbuild developers.
>> 
>> 
>> Documentation/process/changes.rst says the minimal version
>> of GNU Make is 3.80, but actually building the kernel
>> with this version has been broken for a long time.
>> 
>> Specifically, it got broken by commit c8589d1e9e01 (i.e. Linux 3.18).
>> Sorry, it's me who broke it.
>> 
>> Here is my excuse:
>> - It is almost 3 years since then, but nobody complained about it.
>> - GNU Make 3.80 is almost 15 years old.
>>   (Even GNU Make 3.81 was released in 2006.)
>> - People seldom test their makefiles on such old GNU Make version,
>>   so they often use some features that are not supported by version 3.80.
> 
> Agreed. It's not just the kbuild change that broke it, but as you say,
> new make features tend creep into random Makefiles. So I'm fine
> adjusting the documentation to match reality.
> 
> Adding Jan Beulich to Cc, who to fix these cases in the past.

Thanks for asking. As I don't recall having run into the specific
problem mentioned above, I suppose I've given up at some
point and forced the use of a newer make even on those very
old distros that I tend to build / test stuff on every once in a
while. IOW I guess I'm fine with the proposed change, and I
can help myself if nevertheless needed.

Jan