Re: [PATCH] config.mak.uname: set PERL_PATH for FreeBSD 5.0+

Johannes Schindelin [off-list ref] wrote:

Hi Eric,

On Wed, 20 Jul 2016, Eric Wong wrote:

quoted

diff --git a/config.mak.uname b/config.mak.uname
index a88f139..6c29545 100644
--- a/config.mak.uname
+++ b/config.mak.uname

@@ -202,6 +202,11 @@ ifeq ($(uname_S),FreeBSD)
 		NO_UINTMAX_T = YesPlease
 		NO_STRTOUMAX = YesPlease
 	endif
+	R_MAJOR := $(shell expr "$(uname_R)" : '\([0-9]*\)\.')
+
+	ifeq ($(shell test "$(R_MAJOR)" -ge 5 && echo 1),1)
+		PERL_PATH = /usr/local/bin/perl
+	endif

In keeping with other uname_R usage, should this not read

	# Since FreeBSD 5.0, Perl is part of the core
	ifneq ($(shell expr "$(uname_R)" : '[1-4]\.'),2)
		PERL_PATH = /usr/local/bin/perl
	endif

instead?

That's fine; however I don't use `expr` often, so it required
a little more time to realize the '2' means 2 characters were
matched.

Also, my use of a numeric comparison may be more future-proof
in case FreeBSD decides to have /usr/bin/perl again.

I also wonder why we don't use `which` to search for somewhat
standard path components, instead.  Something like:

  PERL_PATH = $(shell PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin which perl)