Re: PostgreSQL 9.3 beta breaks some extensions "make install"

Marti Raudsepp <marti(at)juffo(dot)org> writes:
> I did a quick and dirty survey of extensions on PGXN and found that
> the install change causes problems for (at least) 22% of extensions
> there. I think it's well worth the time to implement a workaround,
> rather than hassle extension writers.

What's really worrying me about this is that beta1 has been out for
less than 48 hours and we've already found one way in which a lot
of system-provided install scripts vary from the one we provide.
How many more compatibility problems will there be?

We changed to using install-sh unconditionally back in 2001 because
we had too many problems with system-provided scripts that didn't do
what we expected. I see very little reason to believe that the
compatibility problems have disappeared since then, and in fact this
complaint seems to me to be sufficient to refute that thesis.

I still think we should revert 9db7ccae2000524b72a4052352cbb5407fb53b02.
The argument that the system-provided program might be faster carries
very little weight for me --- "make install" is fast enough already.
It's not worth making a bunch of extension authors jump through hoops,
whether their style was bad or not.

regards, tom lane