https://sourceforge.net/p/bluefish/tickets/112/
call svnversion only if a svn tree exists and svnversion is found
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -151,12 +151,19 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 )
 
 dnl # make DEVELOPEMENT enabled when compiling from svn, and disabled when compiling from an exported source tree.
-AC_MSG_CHECKING([for svn tree or exported source tree])
 BF_want_development="no"
-BF_svnversion=`LANG=C svnversion -n . || echo exported`
-if test "x$BF_svnversion" != "xexported" ; then
-	AC_MSG_RESULT([svn])
-	BF_want_development="yes"
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for svn tree or exported source tree])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([SVN], [false])
+if test -f .svn/entries; then
+	AC_CHECK_PROG([HAVE_SVN], [svnversion], [yes], [no])
+	if test x$HAVE_SVN = "xyes"; then
+		BF_svnversion=`LANG=C svnversion -n . 2>/dev/null`
+		AM_CONDITIONAL([SVN], [true])
+		AC_MSG_RESULT([svn])
+		BF_want_development="yes"
+	else
+		AC_MSG_WARN([svn tree found but svnversion was not found, continue as an exported tree])
+	fi
 else
 	AC_MSG_RESULT([exported])
 fi
--- a/src/plugin_about/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/plugin_about/Makefile.am
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ about_rev.h: about_rev.h.tmp
 	@if test ! -e $@ || test -n "`diff $< $@`" ; then cp $< $@ ; fi
        
 about_rev.h.tmp:
-	@SVN_REVISION=`LANG=C svnversion -n ${top_srcdir} || echo exported` ; \
+	@SVN_TRUE@SVN_REVISION=`LANG=C svnversion -n ${top_srcdir} || echo exported` ; \
 	echo "/* Automatically created by the Makefile." > $@ ; \
 	echo " * http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=578719 */" >> $@ ; \
 	echo "#ifndef __ABOUT_REV_H_" >> $@ ; \
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ about_rev.h.tmp:
 	echo "#ifdef SVN_REVISION" >> $@ ; \
 	echo "#undef SVN_REVISION" >> $@ ; \
 	echo "#endif /* SVN_REVISION */" >> $@ ; \
-	if test -n $${SVN_REVISION} -a "x$${SVN_REVISION}" != "xexported" ; then \
+	if test -n "$${SVN_REVISION}" -a "x$${SVN_REVISION}" != "xexported" ; then \
 		echo "#define SVN_REVISION \"$${SVN_REVISION}\"" >> $@ ; \
 	fi ; \
 	echo "#endif /* __ABOUT_REV_H_ */" >> $@