View Issue Details
| ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0001650 | Issue 8 drafts | Shell and Utilities | public | 2023-03-31 08:46 | 2024-06-11 09:12 |
| Reporter | rillig | Assigned To | |||
| Priority | normal | Severity | Editorial | Type | Clarification Requested |
| Status | Closed | Resolution | Accepted As Marked | ||
| Product Version | Draft 3 | ||||
| Name | Roland Illig | ||||
| Organization | |||||
| User Reference | |||||
| Section | make | ||||
| Page Number | 3103-3136 | ||||
| Line Number | |||||
| Final Accepted Text | See 0001650:0006301. | ||||
| Summary | 0001650: Words 'prerequisite' and 'dependency' used interchangeably | ||||
| Description | In the description of the make utility, the words 'prerequisite' and 'dependency' are used interchangeably. Since these words mean the same, there's no need to use two separate words for it. | ||||
| Desired Action | Replace all occurrences of 'dependency' or 'dependencies' with the corresponding form of 'prerequisite'. Maybe reword the occurrences of 'depend'. | ||||
| Tags | applied_after_i8d3, issue8 | ||||
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This is a not a straightforward editorial change, as, I regard the two terms are not the same and have distinct meanings, albeit their usage is imperfect in the description of the <make> utility. I believe the term "prerequisite" implies something that must be done first, so, in the context of the <make> utility, it would be another target (possibly phony or possibly implicit). Calling the list of files for creating a target would be better called a "dependency list". That dependency list may contain simple filenames and also the prerequisite target names. If others do not make the semantic distinction between the terms "dependency" and "prerequisite", I would still favour the more usual term "dependency" over "prerequisite" if the consensus were to stick with one or the other. |
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The original POSIX.2-1992 standard was careful to use "prerequisite" throughout. Uses of "dependency" have crept in via the SCCS features from The Single UNIX Specification, version 2, and in some edits made since the 2018 edition of the standard. The rationale contains a reference to "The System V dynamic dependency feature" which should remain, as that is what it was called historically. |
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On page 3107 line 104641 section make, change:A target shall be considered up-to-date if it exists and is newer than all of its dependenciesto: A target shall be considered up-to-date if it exists and is newer than all of its prerequisites On page 3111 line 104824 section make, change: When source files are named in a dependency list, make treats them just like any other target. Because the source file is presumed to be present in the directory, there is no need to add an entry for it to the makefile. When a target has no dependencies, but is present in the directory, make assumes that that file is up-to-date.to: When source files are named in a list of prerequisites, make treats them just like any other target. Because the source file is presumed to be present in the directory, there is no need to add an entry for it to the makefile. When a target has no prerequisites, but is present in the directory, make assumes that that file is up-to-date. On page 3116 line 105066 section make, change: Dependencies added by target rules without commandsto: Prerequisites added by target rules without commands |
| Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 08:46 | rillig | New Issue | |
| 2023-03-31 08:46 | rillig | Name | => Roland Illig |
| 2023-03-31 08:46 | rillig | Section | => make |
| 2023-03-31 08:46 | rillig | Page Number | => 3103-3136 |
| 2023-04-01 13:43 | cmsmith | Note Added: 0006240 | |
| 2023-06-01 16:02 | geoffclare | Note Added: 0006300 | |
| 2023-06-01 16:04 | Don Cragun | Note Added: 0006301 | |
| 2023-06-01 16:07 | Don Cragun | Final Accepted Text | => See 0001650:0006301. |
| 2023-06-01 16:07 | Don Cragun | Status | New => Resolved |
| 2023-06-01 16:07 | Don Cragun | Resolution | Open => Accepted As Marked |
| 2023-06-01 16:07 | Don Cragun | Note Edited: 0006301 | |
| 2023-06-01 16:09 | Don Cragun | Tag Attached: issue8 | |
| 2023-06-13 11:18 | geoffclare | Status | Resolved => Applied |
| 2023-06-13 11:19 | geoffclare | Tag Attached: applied_after_i8d3 | |
| 2024-06-11 09:12 | agadmin | Status | Applied => Closed |
