gdb/560: Cannot specify a full path for ar when configuring gdb

[JRSPWMJXELTD at spammotel dot com]

>Number:         560
>Category:       gdb
>Synopsis:       Cannot specify a full path for ar when configuring gdb
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    unassigned
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Mon May 27 05:38:04 PDT 2002
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     JRSPWMJXELTD@spammotel.com
>Release:        gdb-5.2
>Organization:
>Environment:
HP-UX monty B.10.20 A 9000/730 970406112 two-user license
This GDB was configured as "hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.20".
>Description:
I have an hp-ux 10.20 machine with various versions of ar on the path, so I wanted to be able to do

CC=cc CFLAGS='-O -Ae' AR=/bin/ar ./configure

when configuring gdb.  This doesn't work because the top-level Makefile.in overrides AR (and various other variables ith hardwired path-relative settings).  The generated Makefiles in the subdirectories (gdb etc) do contain the correct setting, but are overridden by the top-level Makefile when it invokes the subdirectory makes.
>How-To-Repeat:
Try to configure the top-level of gdb-5.2 with a specific setting for AR, e.g.

CC=cc CFLAGS='-O -Ae' AR=/bin/ar ./configure

and notice that the generated Makefile doesn't contain this setting.
>Fix:

>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: