Re: [PATCH] gdb: replace suffix rules with pattern rules

[Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>]

>>>>> "Patrick" == Patrick Palka <patrick@parcs.ath.cx> writes:

Patrick> Suffix rules (e.g. .c.o:) are error-prone and may not interact
Patrick> well with GNU make's -r/--no-builtin-rules flag.  Replace them
Patrick> with otherwise-equivalent pattern rules (e.g. %.o: %.c).

Despite appearances, gdb's use of GNU make features is constrained to
parallel check and, if GNU make is available, dependency tracking.  That
is, in theory you can do a "one-off" build of gdb using some other make.

I wouldn't mind requiring GNU make -- gcc has done it for years without
adverse effects -- but it isn't currently the case.

TBH I am not sure how you'd go about getting this sort of change
approved.

Patrick> As a result of this change, one can now successfully build gdb/ with
Patrick> make's -r flag which improves build time by a bit.

There's a zillion other directories to cope with in the tree.
Does make -r work in all of them except gdb?
If so, how?

Tom