bug#25258: Bashisms when building 0.11.0

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

Hello,

Guix' testsuite uses the non-POSIX bashism `type -P guile` in
tests/guix-packages.sh which causes a test failure when using
Dash to provide /bin/sh instead of Bash. Additionally gnu/local.mk uses
brace expansion which is not part of POSIX and does not work on Dash.

When building Guix on Parabola GNU/Linux-libre modified to use Dash as
/bin/sh,[1] this causes the Guix build to fail. For building, the guix
0.11.0 package from AUR[2] was used. The attached “patch” allows for a
successful build but is not what we want.

Guix should probably not use bashisms in its Makefile includes and
either not use bashisms in its test suite or make sure the test suite is
executed explicitly with Bash and not /bin/sh.

Regards,
Florian Pelz

[1] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dash#Use_DASH_as_.2Fbin.2Fsh
[2] https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/guix/

diff -aur guix-0.11.0.pristine/gnu/local.mk guix-0.11.0.new/gnu/local.mk
--- guix-0.11.0.pristine/gnu/local.mk	2016-12-23 16:24:51.501094452 +0100
+++ guix-0.11.0.new/gnu/local.mk	2016-12-23 17:26:55.651112436 +0100
@@ -903,7 +903,10 @@
 # Those files must remain executable, so they remain executable once
 # imported into the store.
 set-bootstrap-executable-permissions:
-	chmod +x $(DESTDIR)$(bootstrapdir)/*/{bash,mkdir,tar,xz}
+	chmod +x $(DESTDIR)$(bootstrapdir)/*/bash
+	chmod +x $(DESTDIR)$(bootstrapdir)/*/mkdir
+	chmod +x $(DESTDIR)$(bootstrapdir)/*/tar
+	chmod +x $(DESTDIR)$(bootstrapdir)/*/xz
 
 DISTCLEANFILES =\
   $(nodist_bootstrap_x86_64_linux_DATA)		\
diff -aur guix-0.11.0.pristine/Makefile.am guix-0.11.0.new/Makefile.am
--- guix-0.11.0.pristine/Makefile.am	2016-12-23 16:24:49.007702057 +0100
+++ guix-0.11.0.new/Makefile.am	2016-12-23 16:25:39.372217348 +0100
@@ -275,7 +275,6 @@
   tests/guix-download.sh			\
   tests/guix-gc.sh\
   tests/guix-hash.sh\
-  tests/guix-package.sh\
   tests/guix-package-net.sh			\
   tests/guix-system.sh\
   tests/guix-archive.sh\

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[Leo Famulari]

On Fri, Dec 23, 2016 at 10:28:01PM +0100, David Craven wrote:
> > Using accurate terminology on Wikipedia is an intention of mine, and
> > changing the About page (and the FSF's endorsed distros page) not to
> > call GuixSD a GNU/Linux distro would help in that regard, but it's
> > arguably a petty issue so I don't intend to bother others with it. :-)
> > (And a guix bug report wouldn't be the place to discuss it anyway.)
> 
> I totally agree that it is a petty issue, so why did you bring it up?
> If people start bike shedding topics it is only fair that everyone
> else can bikeshed in the same thread, since you are filling my inbox
> with pointless emails. Gmail doesn't have a filter for bikeshedding.

I'm sure we can use "machine learning" to make this filter ;)

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[Taylan Ulrich Bayırlı/Kammer]

David Craven  writes:

>> I don't think this is the place to discuss that particular issue at
>> large.  That can be done on Wikipedia, or elsewhere.
>
>> I think the Guix project authors probably agree on GuixSD being defined
>> as a GNU distribution.  The question is whether or not to make the About
>> page consistent with that.
>
> Ah sorry, I misunderstood your intention. I thought this was about
> changing a Wikipedia article.

No problem.

Using accurate terminology on Wikipedia is an intention of mine, and
changing the About page (and the FSF's endorsed distros page) not to
call GuixSD a GNU/Linux distro would help in that regard, but it's
arguably a petty issue so I don't intend to bother others with it. :-)
(And a guix bug report wouldn't be the place to discuss it anyway.)

Taylan

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[David Craven]

> I don't think this is the place to discuss that particular issue at
> large.  That can be done on Wikipedia, or elsewhere.

> I think the Guix project authors probably agree on GuixSD being defined
> as a GNU distribution.  The question is whether or not to make the About
> page consistent with that.

Ah sorry, I misunderstood your intention. I thought this was about
changing a Wikipedia article.

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[Taylan Ulrich Bayırlı/Kammer]

David Craven  writes:

>> It would be better to be consistent with the home page and make clear
>> that GuixSD is a GNU distribution, with Linux-libre being the default
>> kernel for the foreseeable future.
>
>> Background: Wikipedia has a policy to call GNU/Linux distributions
>> "Linux distribution" because that wrong term is more commonly used by
>> the public.  To define GuixSD as a "GNU/Linux distribution" gives them
>> in turn justification to define it as a "Linux distribution" instead.
>
> That's a sound decision, who knows what a GNU distribution is? People
> are confused enough on this topic, no need to let them believe that
> this is something totally different.
>
> When I refer to the term operating system - I'm mostly referring to
> the meaning in the sense of kernel, again usually I use unprecise
> terms to communicate efficiently with people who get distracted by my
> usage of preciser terms. Everybody knows the word OS but may not know
> what a kernel is.
>
> Besides on most systems there is a lot more software than just what is
> provided by GNU or Linux. If we want to be precise we can call it a
> mostly POSIX distribution. People might be more aware of the term
> POSIX than the term GNU (from my limited sampling at a technical
> university), while also providing information or meaning. Calling it a
> GNU system is just as descriptive as calling it a Linux system or a
> Guix system or a remotely similar to Mac OS X system or a Windows with
> cygwin system without windows.

I don't think this is the place to discuss that particular issue at
large.  That can be done on Wikipedia, or elsewhere.

I think the Guix project authors probably agree on GuixSD being defined
as a GNU distribution.  The question is whether or not to make the About
page consistent with that.

Taylan

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[David Craven]

> It would be better to be consistent with the home page and make clear
> that GuixSD is a GNU distribution, with Linux-libre being the default
> kernel for the foreseeable future.

> Background: Wikipedia has a policy to call GNU/Linux distributions
> "Linux distribution" because that wrong term is more commonly used by
> the public.  To define GuixSD as a "GNU/Linux distribution" gives them
> in turn justification to define it as a "Linux distribution" instead.

That's a sound decision, who knows what a GNU distribution is? People
are confused enough on this topic, no need to let them believe that
this is something totally different.

When I refer to the term operating system - I'm mostly referring to
the meaning in the sense of kernel, again usually I use unprecise
terms to communicate efficiently with people who get distracted by my
usage of preciser terms. Everybody knows the word OS but may not know
what a kernel is.

Besides on most systems there is a lot more software than just what is
provided by GNU or Linux. If we want to be precise we can call it a
mostly POSIX distribution. People might be more aware of the term
POSIX than the term GNU (from my limited sampling at a technical
university), while also providing information or meaning. Calling it a
GNU system is just as descriptive as calling it a Linux system or a
Guix system or a remotely similar to Mac OS X system or a Windows with
cygwin system without windows.

bug#25254: [minor] 'About' page says GuixSD is a "GNU/Linux distribution"

[Taylan Ulrich Bayırlı/Kammer]

It would be better to be consistent with the home page and make clear
that GuixSD is a GNU distribution, with Linux-libre being the default
kernel for the foreseeable future.

Background: Wikipedia has a policy to call GNU/Linux distributions
"Linux distribution" because that wrong term is more commonly used by
the public.  To define GuixSD as a "GNU/Linux distribution" gives them
in turn justification to define it as a "Linux distribution" instead.

Taylan