Bengt Richter <bokr@bokr.com> writes:

> Hi Efraim,
>
> On +2020-02-16 16:55:17 +0200, Efraim Flashner wrote:
>> On Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 03:27:36PM +0100, Marius Bakke wrote:
>> > guix-commits@gnu.org writes:
>> > 
>> > > commit 481a0f1a7ceac666a011b28324220584ead07698
>> > > Author: Efraim Flashner <efraim@flashner.co.il>
>> > > AuthorDate: Thu Feb 13 10:54:29 2020 +0200
>> > >
>> > >     build: gnu-build-system: Don't run configure during bootstrap.
>> > >     
>> > >     * guix/build/gnu-build-system.scm (bootstrap): Add NOCONFIGURE
>> > >     environment variable before running bootstrap scripts.
>> > 
>> > [...]
>> > 
>> > > @@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ working directory."
>> > >                (if (executable-file? script)
>> > >                    (begin
>> > >                      (patch-shebang script)
>> > > +                    (setenv "NOCONFIGURE" "true")
>> > >                      (invoke script))
>> > >                    (invoke "sh" script)))
>> > >              (if (or (file-exists? "configure.ac")
>> > 
>> > Should we unset NOCONFIGURE afterwards?  Probably at least one package
>> > uses this variable for something completely different...
>> 
>> It probably wouldn't hurt to unset it. I've never come across a package
>> where that's been a problem but best not invite trouble.
>>
> With all due respect, I am not comfortable with this kind of rationale :) 
>
> If it's never been a problem, unsetting might hide a case where it _would_
> cause a problem -- which IMO it would be better to find out about than not.

I'm not sure I follow.  The variable in question has only been used in a
handful of packages[0].  Now we are adding it in nearly 10k packages.

Why would we want to know whether a package build process has a problem
with that particular variable?

[0] https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/guix.git/commit/?h=core-updates&id=778d6b522ae361767d3cf984a3b182bac7361b7a