Re: /etc/mk.conf

[Nick Holland <nick_(_at_)_holland-consulting_(_dot_)_net>]

Hannah Schroeter wrote:
...
> I'd think
> 
> echo PIPE=-pipe > /etc/mk.conf
> 
> would be safe, too.
> 
> (right, *not* ">>").

as indicated by others, this is now default, so yes, this is safe (and I
suspect Hannah knows this)

HOWEVER...a little background info might be interesting...

What does this do?  From mk.conf(5):

  PIPE  If set to "-pipe", gcc(1) will be given the -pipe
        option which can speed up compiles on machines
        with memory to spare.  Instead of using temp
        files, gcc(1) uses pipes for the temporary data.

Sounds like an innocent, no-brainer, right?  Totally harmless, right?

WRONG.  And a very good indicator of why fiddling with stuff to get an
unnoticably small performance gain is a Really Bad Idea.

That simple little change would cause mac68k (and also m88k, but it
didn't impact OTHER m68k systems as I recall) systems to fail to build a
release.  More time was spent debugging it than will ever be saved in
compilation time, I suspect.

The compiler and related tools are very imperfect.  If you think you can
toss something magical in there and have something wonderful happen, you
don't get it...

Just because the gun didn't go off the time you played Russian roulette
doesn't mean you should advise others to do the same.  There is a VERY
LARGE difference between something that "works for me!" and something
everyone should do.

Nick.