Re: Is this a bug in autoconf? (patch included)

[Pavel Roskin]

Hello, Ralf!

> How about (under linux):
> ./configure --build=i386-pc-linux-gnu --host=i386-pc-linux-gnulibc1
> 
> This definitely is cross-compilation (incompatible toolchains and
> libraries, libc6 files under /usr, libc5 files under
> /usr/i386-pc-linux-gnulibc1), but executables will run and autoconf will
> incorrectly assume native compilation.

Why incorrectly? What tests will be affected? What programs linked against
libc5 will behave differently on that machine and on a native libc5
system?

If you can run tests and intermediate programs, why should configure
forbid you doing that? Or maybe I don't understand what consequences
should cross-compiling have apart from that?

Canonical names are irrelevant to cross-compilation. If you compile a
simple portable program you don't even need to know either of those names.
You are responsible to specify the right compiler, and the compiler just
does its job.

As long as you don't run any intermediate programs on the build system,
you don't need to know whether you cross-compile or not.

Regards,
Pavel Roskin