[Python-Dev] Why do we care about -OPT:Olimit=0?

[Brett Cannon]

On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 1:22 PM,  <skip at pobox.com> wrote:
> Python's configure.in contains this check:
>
>    # disable check for icc since it seems to pass, but generates a warning
>    if test "$CC" = icc
>    then
>      ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok=no
>    fi
>
>    AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether $CC accepts -OPT:Olimit=0)
>    AC_CACHE_VAL(ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok,
>    [ac_save_cc="$CC"
>    CC="$CC -OPT:Olimit=0"
>    AC_TRY_RUN([int main() { return 0; }],
>      ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok=yes,
>      ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok=no,
>      ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok=no)
>    CC="$ac_save_cc"])
>    AC_MSG_RESULT($ac_cv_opt_olimit_ok)
>
> Why do we care about that particular obscure compiler flag?  I'm trying to
> build Python 2.4.x with the Sun Studio 12 compiler, which appears to operate
> in the same broken fashion as icc.  It warns that it doesn't support the
> option but still exits with a zero status which makes configure incorrectly
> think it does support the flag.
>
> This same chunk of code seems to be in configure.in dating back to 1997 with
> this comment:
>
>    r8948 | guido | 1997-10-09 15:24:13 -0500 (Thu, 09 Oct 1997) | 2 lines
>
>    Don Beaudry's changes to support SGI_ABI on Irix 6.x.
>
> Can this check be ripped out?

Irix support has been removed in 3.0 so it can at least be tossed
there if the OS is the only reason to have the flag aroung.

-Brett