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fix: follow autoconf conventions for --enable/--disable help output#356

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jiegec merged 1 commit intolsof-org:masterfrom
kurok:fix/configure-help-enable-disable
Mar 13, 2026
Merged

fix: follow autoconf conventions for --enable/--disable help output#356
jiegec merged 1 commit intolsof-org:masterfrom
kurok:fix/configure-help-enable-disable

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@kurok kurok commented Mar 13, 2026

Summary

  • Change --enable-liblsof to --disable-liblsof in help output (feature is enabled by default)
  • Remove redundant [default=no] from --enable-security and --enable-no-sock-security

Motivation

Per GNU autoconf conventions, ./configure --help should show:

  • --disable-X for features that are enabled by default (user needs to know how to turn it off)
  • --enable-X for features that are disabled by default (user needs to know how to turn it on)

No [default=...] annotation is needed — the option direction already communicates the default.

Before:

  --enable-liblsof        build and install liblsof [default=yes]
  --enable-security       allow only the root user to list all open files [default=no]
  --enable-no-sock-security
                          combined with --enable-security, allow anyone to
                          list anyone else's socket files [default=no]

After:

  --disable-liblsof       do not build and install liblsof
  --enable-security       allow only the root user to list all open files
  --enable-no-sock-security
                          combined with --enable-security, allow anyone to
                          list anyone else's socket files

Only configure.ac is changed (4 lines). No build logic is affected — only the help text.

Closes #325

Use --disable-liblsof (default=yes feature) instead of --enable-liblsof
and remove redundant [default=...] annotations from --enable-security
and --enable-no-sock-security (default=no features).

This follows the GNU convention: advertise only the option that changes
behavior away from the default.

Closes lsof-org#325
@jiegec jiegec merged commit d1dee56 into lsof-org:master Mar 13, 2026
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Improve output of /configure --help for disabled/enabled options by default

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