commands within ``make''

[Spencer W. Thomas]

In article <583 at mako.UUCP> glenm at mako.UUCP (Glen McCluskey) writes:
>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?

The version of make on our system (currently 4.2BSD, but this was also
true in 4.1, thus probably in V7) does directly exec subcommands as long
as they don't have shell meta-characters in them (=|^();&<>*?[]:$`'"\
and <newline>).

-- 
=Spencer
	({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas at utah-cs.ARPA)
	"A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with
	 constant use" - Washington Irving