Explanation offered for magic number

require-ess/tools/driver.makefile

@@ -436,9 +436,12 @@ list2param = $(subst $(space),$(comma),$(strip $1))
 exec = $(eval -exec=$1)$(eval -exec:=$$(call -exec,$(call list2param,$2)))$(-exec)
 while = $(if $(call exec,$1),$(eval $2)$(call while,$1,$2,$3),$(eval $3))
 
+# This simply assures that we fetch all of the rest of the table when we run $(wordlist n,$(max_int_size),$(table_data))
+max_int_size := 2147483647
+
 # Used to select from table-like data; syntax is SELECT what FROM where WHEN condition. This has been tailored to parse .dep files.
 select = $(strip $(call -select,$(strip $2),$1,$3))
--select = $(if $1,$(if $(call exec,$3,$(call list2param,$(wordlist 1,2,$1))), $(word $2,$1))$(call -select,$(wordlist 3,2147483647,$1),$2,$3))
+-select = $(if $1,$(if $(call exec,$3,$(call list2param,$(wordlist 1,2,$1))), $(word $2,$1))$(call -select,$(wordlist 3,$(max_int_size),$1),$2,$3))
 
 str-eq = $(if $(subst x$1,,x$2),,t)