Re: `exec shield' test in configure too strict?

[Stefan <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

>> If /proc/sys/kernel/exec-shield is non-zero and there's no setarch, we
>> should just try anyway and see if it works.  If it works correctly, great.
>> If it doesn't work, there's little we can do anyway, so we can just output
>> a message referring the user to PROBLEMS.

> That would involve detetcting that the core dump from temacs is due
> to exactly this problem.  I think that is hard to do.  Or do you suggest
> that any temacs core dump should give a message about etc/PROBLEMS?

We can output the message even if the build succeeds.
I.e. just transform the current error into a warning.

Or you could use "if the dump segfaults and /proc/../exec-shield is non-zero
and we don't have a setarch, then echo 'The problem might be due to
exec-shield, see PROBLEMS.'"

>> Trying to predict whether it's going to work or not doesn't seem to make
>> much sense here since it doesn't allow us to resolve any problem we can't
>> solve otherwise.

> It is so much better to get this message at configure time rather than
> very late in the build stage.

I don't see the big improvement here.  We're talking about a case where
Emacs's build fails.  It should be rare and we want to know about those
cases so we can fix them, so early or late detection is really not a big
deal so long as the warning is clear and visible enough.


        Stefan