Without this patch, I get the unhelpful: Compiler version: detection failed (please report this) in my Installation file, because on my system, coreutils-5.3.0 cleverly produces the following error to the command 'head -1': head: `-1' option is obsolete; use `-n 1' Try `head --help' for more information. (This particular error is generated only on some systems, based on whether or not coreutils thinks you should be POSIX-conformant.) ChangeLog addition: 2005-03-23 Vin Shelton <acs(a)xemacs.org&gt; * configure.ac: Don't use head -1 due to over-zealous coreutils complaints. 21.5 source patch: Diff command: cvs -q diff -u Files affected: configure.ac Index: configure.ac =================================================================== RCS file: /pack/xemacscvs/XEmacs/xemacs/configure.ac,v retrieving revision 1.4 diff -a -u -u -r1.4 configure.ac --- configure.ac 2005/03/15 12:37:14 1.4 +++ configure.ac 2005/03/23 02:46:53 ＠＠ -2359,12 +2359,12 ＠＠ dnl run through the AC_PROG_CC mill. dnl Would anybody really build libsrc with GCC and XEmacs with non-GCC? if test "$GCC" = "yes"; then - compiler_version=`$XEMACS_CC --version | head -1` - gcc_compiler_specs=`$XEMACS_CC -v 2>&1 | sed 's/.* \([[^ ]]\)/\1/' | head -1` + compiler_version=`$XEMACS_CC --version | sed 1q` + gcc_compiler_specs=`$XEMACS_CC -v 2>&1 | sed 's/.* \([[^ ]]\)/\1/' | sed 1q` else case "$XEMACS_CC" in dnl The Intel cc compiler ic*) - compiler_version=`icc -V 2>&1 | head -1` + compiler_version=`icc -V 2>&1 | sed 1q` ;; dnl non-gcc machine-specific magic - contributions welcome *) case "$ac_cv_build" in ＠＠ -2393,7 +2393,7 ＠＠ ;; *-*-solaris*) - compiler_version=`$XEMACS_CC -V 2>&1 | head -1` + compiler_version=`$XEMACS_CC -V 2>&1 | sed 1q` ;; alpha*-dec-osf*)