Automake 1.18 regression (?)

Hello,

I'm facing a strange regression between 1.17.92 and 1.18 when rebuilding
Automake:

FAIL: t/txinfo-vtexi4
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

txinfo-vtexi4: running makeinfo --version
texi2any (GNU texinfo) 7.2

Copyright (C) 2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.htm=
l>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
txinfo-vtexi4: running texi2dvi --version
texi2dvi (GNU Texinfo 7.2)

Copyright (C) 2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.htm=
l>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
am-test-lib.sh: Running from installcheck: no
am-test-lib.sh: Test Protocol: none
am-test-lib.sh: PATH =3D
/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/bin:/builddir/build=
/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/ax:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin=
:/usr/local/sbin
++ pwd
/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinfo-vtexi4.dir
+ TZ=3DUTC0
+ export TZ
++ LC_ALL=3DC
++ date +%u
+ test 4 -gt 0
++ LC_ALL=3DC
++ date +%u
+ test 4 -lt 8
++ LC_ALL=3DC
++ date +%d
+ day=3D19
+ test -n 19
++ LC_ALL=3DC
++ date +%B
+ month=3DJune
+ test -n June
++ LC_ALL=3DC
++ date +%Y
+ year=3D2025
+ test -n 2025
++ echo 19
++ sed 's/^0//'
+ day=3D19
+ cat
+ cat
+ cat
+ cat
+ aclocal-1.18 -Werror
+ autoconf
+ automake-1.18 --foreign -Werror -Wall -a
Makefile.am:2: installing './mdate-sh'
Makefile.am:2: installing './texinfo.tex'
+ ./configure
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether sleep supports fractional seconds... yes
checking filesystem timestamp resolution... 0.01
checking whether build environment is sane... yes
checking for a race-free mkdir -p... /usr/bin/mkdir -p
checking for gawk... gawk
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes
checking whether make supports nested variables... yes
checking xargs -n works... yes
checking whether UID '1000' is supported by ustar format... yes
checking whether GID '135' is supported by ustar format... yes
checking how to create a ustar tar archive... gnutar
checking that generated files are newer than configure... done
configure: creating ./config.status
config.status: creating Makefile
+ make all dvi
Updating ./version.texi
restore=3D: && backupdir=3D".am$$" && \
am__cwd=3D`pwd` && CDPATH=3D"${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && \
rm -rf $backupdir && mkdir $backupdir && \
if (/bin/sh '/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txin=
fo-vtexi4.dir/missing'
makeinfo --version) >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
  for f in foo.info foo.info-[0-9] foo.info-[0-9][0-9] foo.i[0-9]
foo.i[0-9][0-9]; do \
    if test -f $f; then mv $f $backupdir; restore=3Dmv; else :; fi; \
  done; \
else :; fi && \
cd "$am__cwd"; \
if /bin/sh '/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinf=
o-vtexi4.dir/missing'
makeinfo   -I . \
 -o foo.info foo.texi; \
then \
  rc=3D0; \
  CDPATH=3D"${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd .; \
else \
  rc=3D$?; \
  CDPATH=3D"${ZSH_VERSION+.}:" && cd . && \
  $restore $backupdir/* `echo "./foo.info" | sed 's|[^/]*$||'`; \
fi; \
rm -rf $backupdir; exit $rc
TEXINPUTS=3D".:$TEXINPUTS" \
MAKEINFO=3D'/bin/sh
'/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinfo-vtexi4.di=
r/missing'
makeinfo   -I .' \
texi2dvi  -I .  --build-dir=3Dfoo.t2d -o foo.dvi  \
foo.texi
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.25 (TeX Live 2023)
(preloaded format=3Detex)
 restricted \write18 enabled.
entering extended mode
(../../../.././foo.texi
(/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinfo-vtexi4.di=
r/te
xinfo.tex Loading texinfo [version 2025-03-22.08]: pdf, fonts, glyphs,
page headings, tables, conditionals, indexing, sectioning, toc, environment=
s,
defuns, macros, cross references, insertions,
(/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/epsf/epsf.tex
This is `epsf.tex' v2.7.4 <14 February 2011>
) localization, formatting, microtype, and turning on texinfo input format.=
)
(/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinfo-vtexi4.di=
r/ve
rsion.texi) [1] )
Output written on foo.dvi (1 page, 264 bytes).
Transcript written on foo.log.
Moved foo.dvi to
/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/t/txinfo-vtexi4.dir=
/foo.dvi
+ ls -l
total 340
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock  32042 Jun 19 08:11 Makefile
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock    709 Jun 19 08:11 Makefile.am
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock  31045 Jun 19 08:11 Makefile.in
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock  34886 Jun 19 08:11 aclocal.m4
drwxr-xr-x. 2 mockbuild mock    180 Jun 19 08:11 autom4te.cache
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock   8065 Jun 19 08:11 compile
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock   7006 Jun 19 08:11 config.log
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock  25838 Jun 19 08:11 config.status
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock 118425 Jun 19 08:11 configure
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock     91 Jun 19 08:11 configure.ac
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock     75 Jun 19 08:11 defs.am
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock  23701 Jun 19 08:11 depcomp
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock    264 Jun 19 08:11 foo.dvi
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock    287 Jun 19 08:11 foo.info
drwxr-xr-x. 3 mockbuild mock     60 Jun 19 08:11 foo.t2d
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock    256 Jun 19 08:11 foo.texi
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock  15443 Jun 19 08:11 install-sh
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 mockbuild mock     68 Jun 19 08:11 mdate-sh ->
/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/lib/mdate-sh
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 mockbuild mock   7734 Jun 19 08:11 missing
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock     95 Jun 19 08:11 stamp-vti
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 mockbuild mock     71 Jun 19 08:11 texinfo.tex ->
/builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18/lib/texinfo.tex
-rw-r--r--. 1 mockbuild mock     95 Jun 19 08:11 version.texi
+ cat version.texi
@set UPDATED 28 May 2025
@set UPDATED-MONTH May 2025
@set EDITION 123.456
@set VERSION 123.456
+ cat foo.info
This is foo.info, produced by makeinfo version 7.2 from foo.texi.


File: foo.info,  Node: Top,  Up: (dir)

GREPVERSION=3D123.456=3D

   GREPEDITION=3D123.456=3D

   GREPDATE=3D28 May 2025=3D

   GREPMONTH=3DMay 2025=3D


Tag Table:
Node: Top 67

End Tag Table


Local Variables:
coding: utf-8
End:
+ test -f foo.dvi
+ make test-grepinfo
cat ./foo.info | grep 'GREPVERSION=3D123\.456=3D'
GREPVERSION=3D123.456=3D
cat ./foo.info | grep 'GREPEDITION=3D123\.456=3D'
   GREPEDITION=3D123.456=3D
cat ./foo.info | grep 'GREPDATE=3D19 June 2025=3D'
make: *** [Makefile:907: test-grepinfo] Error 1
+ am_exit_trap 2
+ exit_status=3D2
+ set +e
+ cd /builddir/build/BUILD/automake-1.18-build/automake-1.18
+ test none =3D tap
+ case $am_explicit_skips in
+ test 2 -eq 0
+ keep_testdirs=3Dyes
+ am_keeping_testdirs
+ case $keep_testdirs in
+ return 0
+ set +x
FAIL t/txinfo-vtexi4.sh (exit status: 2)


This failure only appears in specific environments, for instance when
building the package (without additional patches) through `rpmbuild`.
So far I can't reproduce it when building by hand in a container.

I don't get yet what differs in this environment, but I could identify
the commit that triggers the failure:

commit b78b70612b83632d9f1256e4fa4c69c33f81a5f8
Author: Karl Berry <[email protected]>
Date:   Tue May 20 09:17:04 2025 -0700

    mdate-sh: support $SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH.

    From https://bugs.gnu.org/77805.

    * lib/mdate-sh: if $SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH is set, use it
    instead of the mtime of any file. Debian was removing
    @value{UPDATED}, etc., from manuals because of varying output.
    Try date --date, then date -r, then perl gmtime, then
    fall back to the file's mtime.
    Also, warn if more than one file argument is given.
    (mon_to_month): factor out conversion of Jan to January.
    * t/mdate5.sh: test it.
    * doc/automake.texi (Texinfo): mention it.
    * NEWS: mention it.

Note, when I built automake 1.18 on day one, the failure didn't show
up (since I built it on May 28th).
For now I'm probably going to revert it for Fedora builds, but any
help to figure out what's going on is welcomed.


Fr=C3=A9d=C3=A9ric B=C3=A9rat

Principal Software Engineer, Platform Tools

Red Hat <https://www.redhat.com>

[email protected]
<https://www.redhat.com>