- # where $(somedir) is conditionally defined.
- # (`test -n '$(somedir)' && $(mkdir_p) $(somedir)' is a more
- # expensive solution, as it forces Make to start a sub-shell.)
- mkdir_p='mkdir -p -- .'
+ # where $(somedir) is conditionally defined. However this is wrong
+ # for two reasons:
+ # 1. if the package is installed by a user who cannot write `.'
+ # make install will fail,
+ # 2. the above comment should most certainly read
+ # $(mkdir_p) $(DESTDIR)$(somedir)
+ # so it does not work when $(somedir) is undefined and
+ # $(DESTDIR) is not.
+ # To support the latter case, we have to write
+ # test -z "$(somedir)" || $(mkdir_p) $(DESTDIR)$(somedir),
+ # so the `.' trick is pointless.
+ mkdir_p='mkdir -p --'