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From: Robert Shady <rls@hades.id.net>
Message-Id: <199506092055.QAA00886@hades.id.net>
Subject: Re: make doesn't like lines with a tab only
To: rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com (Rodney W. Grimes)
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 1995 16:55:36 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: mal@algonet.se, bugs@FreeBSD.org
In-Reply-To: <199506090827.BAA05686@gndrsh.aac.dev.com> from "Rodney W. Grimes" at Jun 9, 95 01:27:55 am
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> > the following "Makefile"
> > --SNIP--
> > foo: bar
> > <TAB>xyzzy -o foo bar
> > <TAB>
> > --SNIP--
> > 
> > results in:
> > "Makefile", line 3: Need an operator
> > Fatal errors encountered -- cannot continue
> 
> The only bug here is that your makefile is arguably wrong.  A tab indicates
> there is to be a command in this location, you have provided no command.
> 
> Many other makes ignore this arguably erronous line.  I belive POSIX says
> this shall cause an error.

That may be what POSIX says it should cause, but in real life it causes
alot of headaches.  Maybe a command line switch to ignore it would be in
order?  Defaulting, of course, to POSIX.