If you run make config and select the static option, the link stage fails with errors. cc -shared -Wl,-soname,print -fstack-protector -fuse-ld=bfd -static -o print print.o /usr/bin/ld.bfd: warning: cannot find entry symbol _start; defaulting to 0000000000400170 print.o: In function `print_builtin': print.c:(.text+0x15): undefined reference to `reset_internal_getopt' print.c:(.text+0x57): undefined reference to `internal_getopt' print.c:(.text+0x70): undefined reference to `list_optarg' print.c:(.text+0x87): undefined reference to `list_optarg' print.c:(.text+0x8f): undefined reference to `all_digits' print.c:(.text+0x9e): undefined reference to `list_optarg' ... /usr/lib/libc.a(getenv.o): In function `__clean_env': /usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:250: undefined reference to `environ' /usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:251: undefined reference to `environ' /usr/lib/libc.a(getenv.o): In function `getenv': /usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:440: undefined reference to `environ' /usr/lib/libc.a(getenv.o): In function `__merge_environ': /usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:546: undefined reference to `environ' /usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:558: undefined reference to `environ' /usr/lib/libc.a(getenv.o):/usr/src/lib/libc/stdlib/getenv.c:338: more undefined references to `environ' follow ... cc: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation) *** Error code 1
This happens during the 'make stage' target when static build is selected and can be safely ignored. Loadables (./work/bash-5.0/examples/loadables) won't work with static building. The upstream Makefile already ignores the error code emitted by this directory. I concede that this is confusing and it has prompted questions before. I'll commit a patch shortly that will prevent running this particular section of the Makefile when static build is selected.
I've committed a patch that prevents trying to build loadables with the static option.