Re: [PATCH] 2.5.44 mrproper removes editor backup files

[Mikael Pettersson]

On Sun, 20 Oct 2002 20:27:18 +0200, Sam Ravnborg wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 20, 2002 at 08:01:54PM +0200, Mikael Pettersson wrote:
> > Contrary to years of history and several explicit comments in
> > Makefile that mrproper != distclean, 2.5.44 merged the two
> > which causes mrproper to incorrectly remove editor backup files.
> 
> Why do you need three levels of cleaning?
> In other words what is it that make clean failed to clean in your case.

I only use mrproper myself. Always have. Over the years I've seen
too many build failures for others caused by insufficient cleaning
to really trust plain clean.

> I know that we always used to say: make mrproper can cure everything.
> But make clean starts to get the power of make mrproper.

> It makes sense to kill one of them, but make help needs an update though.
> You could argue if distclean=mrproper or mrproper=clean.

Changing the behaviour of mrproper is like $EDITOR suddenly changing its
core key bindings. Users accustomed to those bindings won't be happy.

If, for whatever reason, clean becomes as powerful as mrproper, just
set mrproper == clean. Or remove clean but keep mrproper :-)

/Mikael