[sr #111391] Cannot regenerate manpages on system where PERL is not a single command

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URL:=0A  <https://savannah.gnu.org/support/?111391>=0A=0A                 S=
ummary: Cannot regenerate manpages on system where PERL is=0Anot a single c=
ommand=0A                   Group: Autoconf=0A               Submitter: ros=
sburton=0A               Submitted: Wed 04 Mar 2026 03:53:13 PM UTC=0A     =
           Priority: 5 - Unprioritized=0A                Severity: 3 - Norm=
al=0A                  Status: None=0A                 Privacy: Public=0A  =
           Assigned to: None=0A        Originator Email:=0A             Ope=
n/Closed: Open=0A         Discussion Lock: Unlocked=0A        Operating Sys=
tem: None=0A=0A=0A    _____________________________________________________=
__=0A=0AFollow-up Comments:=0A=0A=0A---------------------------------------=
----------------=0ADate: Wed 04 Mar 2026 03:53:13 PM UTC By: Ross Burton <r=
ossburton>=0Atl;dr: autoconf should have a distinction between "the perl I =
put in the=0Ahashbang of autoconf" and "the perl I can run at build time", =
because they=0Amight not be the same thing.=0A=0ASpecifically, I'm cross-co=
mpiling a SDK with autoconf in so don't know where=0Aperl is on the target.=
 Thus I set PERL=3D"/usr/bin/env perl" and autoconf=0Adoesn't need to know =
exactly where perl is on the host.=0A=0ABut this now breaks manpage regener=
ation if that is needed (say, I patched=0Aautoreconf.1 with --exclude patch=
es).=0A=0A  help2man: can't get `--help' info from autoreconf.w=0A=0APullin=
g out a reproducer and then using --no-discard-stderr:=0A=0A$ env PERL=3D'/=
usr/bin/env perl' PATH=3D"../sources/autoconf-2.72.90/man:$PATH"=0APACKAGE_=
NAME=3D"GNU Autoconf" VERSION=3D'2.72.90' RELEASE_YEAR=3D"2026"=0Atop_srcdi=
r=3D"../sources/autoconf-2.72.90"=0Achanneldefs_pm=3D"lib/Autom4te/ChannelD=
efs.pm" help2man --no-discard-stderr=0Aautoreconf.w=0A.\" DO NOT MODIFY THI=
S FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.=0A.TH AUTORECONF.W: "1" "Marc=
h 2026" "autoreconf.w: 3: exec: /usr/bin/env perl:=0Anot found" "User Comma=
nds"=0A=0ASomething is trying to exec("/usr/bin/env perl"), which won't wor=
k.=0A=0AThis could easily be fixed with a HOSTPERL variable or similar, so =
I could set=0APERL for the _target_ and HOSTPERL=3Dperl for the build.=0A=
=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A    __________________________________________________=
_____=0A=0AReply to this item at:=0A=0A  <https://savannah.gnu.org/support/=
?111391>=0A=0A_______________________________________________=0AMessage sen=
t via Savannah=0Ahttps://savannah.gnu.org/=0A
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