From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Mon Jan  5 15:32:44 2004
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 838D216A4CE
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon,  5 Jan 2004 15:32:44 -0800 (PST)
Received: from postoffice.e-easy.com.au (eth0.lnk.aims.net.au [203.31.73.253])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1490343D2D
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon,  5 Jan 2004 15:32:42 -0800 (PST)
	(envelope-from nigel@e-easy.com.au)
Received: from e-easy.com.au (eet03s01.aims.private [192.168.10.3])
	by postoffice.e-easy.com.au  with ESMTP id i05NWa9B005090
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Tue, 6 Jan 2004 10:32:36 +1100 (EST)
	(envelope-from nigel@e-easy.com.au)
Message-Id: <200401052332.i05NWa9B005090@postoffice.e-easy.com.au>
Received: from eet03s01 
	by e-easy.com.au (e-easy.com.au)
	(MDaemon.PRO.v7.0.0q.R)
	with ESMTP id md50000054937.msg
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue, 06 Jan 2004 10:02:02 +1100
From: "Nigel Weeks" <nigel@e-easy.com.au>
To: <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 10:01:58 +1100
Organization: E-Easy
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook, Build 11.0.5510
Thread-Index: AcPT3+vBZm7InDd4Ryyj/mIT65LP/w==
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.0
X-Spam-Processed: e-easy.com.au, Tue, 06 Jan 2004 10:02:02 +1100
	(not processed: spam filter disabled)
X-Return-Path: nigel@e-easy.com.au
X-MDaemon-Deliver-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-milter (http://www.amavis.org/)
Subject: Autoconf, and that silly 'maximum length of command line arguments'
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 23:32:44 -0000

Is there really any need for this check in autoconf?

Launching sed over and over, hogging cpu, just to find a number that's so
high, it'll never get reached...
...unless you use webcvs on a directory with 16000+ files...

Is there any other way? If it's absolutely necessary, can it be sped up?

N.