2 files changed, 14 insertions, 8 deletions

diff --git a/src/ChangeLog b/src/ChangeLog
index c355232482f..39d2f2f412a 100644
--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2013-09-04  Paul Eggert  <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
+
+        Makefile improvements.
+        * Makefile.in (config.status): Don't use double-colon rules, as
+        they are not portable according to POSIX.  Fix shell typo with `;
+        I guess this rule has never been tested?
+        (VCSWITNESS): New macro, to override any environment var.
+
 2013-09-04  Dmitry Antipov  <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
 
         * xterm.h (struct x_display_info): Do not track X connection
diff --git a/src/Makefile.in b/src/Makefile.in
index 0e7ff9cbd33..fe8d2d13ce0 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.in
@@ -538,14 +538,9 @@ stamp-oldxmenu: $(OLDXMENU_DEPS)
 
 $(OLDXMENU): $(OLDXMENU_TARGET)
 
-../config.status:: epaths.in
-        @echo "The file epaths.h needs to be set up from epaths.in."
-        @echo "Please run the `configure' script again."
-        exit 1
-
-../config.status:: config.in
-        @echo "The file config.h needs to be set up from config.in."
-        @echo "Please run the `configure' script again."
+../config.status: config.in epaths.in
+        @echo "The file ${?:.in=.h} needs to be set up from $?."
+        @echo "Please run the 'configure' script again."
         exit 1
 
 doc.o: buildobj.h
@@ -658,6 +653,9 @@ $(lisp): $(BOOTSTRAPEMACS)
 
 ## VCSWITNESS points to the file that holds info about the current checkout.
 ## We use it as a heuristic to decide when to rebuild loaddefs.el.
+## If empty it is ignored; the parent makefile can set it to some other value.
+VCSWITNESS =
+
 $(lispsource)/loaddefs.el: $(BOOTSTRAPEMACS) $(VCSWITNESS)
         cd ../lisp; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) autoloads EMACS=$(bootstrap_exe)