[Reproducible-builds] Bug#782345: automake: mdate-sh has undeterministic output

[Reiner Herrmann]

Source: automake-1.14
Version: 1:1.14.1-4
Severity: wishlist
User: reproducible-builds at lists.alioth.debian.org
Usertags: toolchain
Tags: upstream
X-Debbugs-CC: reproducible-builds at lists.alioth.debian.org

Hi!

While working on Debian's “reproducible builds” effort [1], we have
noticed that the output of mdate-sh (which is part of automake, and
shipped by some upstream source tarballs) can produce different
output depending on the timezone.
Different output of mdate-sh can then lead to further differences
in the build process [2].

We already forwarded a patch to automake-patches at gnu.org, but it
hasn't appeared yet in their mailing list archive (which looks a little
dead with no new mails since January).
The patch [3] fixes the timezone used by mdate-sh to UTC, which will
always produce the same output independent of the timezone of the caller.

Regards,
 Reiner

[1]: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds
[2]: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds/TimezoneVarianceBecauseOfAutomakeMdate
[3]: https://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/reproducible-builds/Week-of-Mon-20150406/001380.html

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