commands within ``make''

[Chris Torek]

> Is there a good reason why an option cannot be added
> to ``make'' so that it will directly execute subcommands
> such as the compiler, instead of invoking a subshell?

You could always make a system() routine that scanned its argument
for shell metacharacters, and if none were found, invoked programs
directly.

[Begin silliness]
Gee, you could even build in file name pattern matching, pipes, hey
even backquote, and...  f we put enough work in it, the shell itself
becomes:

	main () {
		while(fgets(input, sizeof input, sdtin) != NULL)
			system(buf);
		exit (0);
	}

!
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 4251)
UUCP:	{seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!chris
CSNet:	chris at umcp-cs		ARPA:	chris at maryland