Compiling nano hitting problems during make

Question

I am trying to compile nano and hitting some problems.

Details are as follows -- versions I cannot change (compiling on s390 architecture and don't have access to other versions):

Nano source version 2.9.7
Using autoconf version 2.62
Using automake version 1.10
Changed configure script so it looks for tooling version 1.10 instead of 1.15 by altering configure line am__api_version='1.10'

I run configure, and then I run make. On running make I get the following error:

make
CDPATH="${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && /bin/sh /u/user/source/nano-2.9.7/missing aclocal-1.10 -I m4
main::scan_file() called too early to check prototype at /workarea/tools/automake/bin/aclocal-1.10 line 604.
configure.ac:27: error: Autoconf version 2.69 or higher is required
configure.ac:27: the top level
autom4te: /usr/local/bin/m4 failed with exit status: 63
aclocal-1.10: autom4te failed with exit status: 63
WARNING: 'aclocal-1.10' is probably too old.
         You should only need it if you modified 'acinclude.m4' or
         'configure.ac' or m4 files included by 'configure.ac'.
         The 'aclocal' program is part of the GNU Automake package:
         <http://www.gnu.org/software/automake>
         It also requires GNU Autoconf, GNU m4 and Perl in order to run:
         <http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf>
         <http://www.gnu.org/software/m4/>
         <http://www.perl.org/>
FSUM8226 make: Error code 63

I note on the first line it says : CDPATH="${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && /bin/sh /u/user/source/nano-2.9.7/missing aclocal-1.10 -I m4 I don't know how to read this error, given aclocal-1.10 is on my path and installed. When I run aclocal-1.10 from my bash shell I get :

aclocal-1.10
main::scan_file() called too early to check prototype at /workarea/tools/automake/bin/aclocal-1.10 line 604.
aclocal-1.10: `configure.ac' or `configure.in' is required

Update I went to line 27 of configure.ac and changed the line AC_PREREQ([2.69]) to AC_PREREQ([2.62]). Now when the make command is issued it fails with the following error:

source/nano-2.9.7: >make
CDPATH="${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && /bin/sh /u/user/source/nano-2.9.7/missing aclocal-1.10 -I m4
main::scan_file() called too early to check prototype at /workarea/tools/automake/bin/aclocal-1.10 line 604.
(CDPATH="${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && /bin/sh /u/user/source/nano-2.9.7/missing autoheader)
autoheader: error: AC_CONFIG_HEADERS not found in configure.ac
FSUM8226 make: Error code 1 
make: './config.h.in' removed.

Please offer guidance and support around how to work around my system imposed limitations in order to compile my favourite command line editor!

arved arved · Accepted Answer · 2018-05-26T11:08:38

Two easy solutions: Update your autoconf package.

Or fix your timestamps, so that autoconf isn't reinvoked, e.g. by touching all files in the distribution.

find . | xargs touch

Compiling nano hitting problems during make

1 Answers