Comment 5 for bug 1669891

tux% make --version
GNU Make 4.1
Built for x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
Copyright (C) 1988-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Hmm, my bad, it does work, I probably wasn't careful enough before:

tux% make -sj
tux% make -sq CHECK_RELEASE=NO
Warning: RELEASE file consistency checks have been disabled
tux% touch testApp/src/testMain.cpp
tux% make -sq CHECK_RELEASE=NO
Warning: RELEASE file consistency checks have been disabled
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_ARCHS:61: recipe for target 'install.linux-x86_64' failed
make[2]: *** [install.linux-x86_64] Error 1
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'src.install' failed
make[1]: *** [src.install] Error 2
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'testApp.install' failed
make: *** [testApp.install] Error 2

tux% make -sj
tux% touch configure/RELEASE
tux% make -sq CHECK_RELEASE=NO
Warning: RELEASE file consistency checks have been disabled
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'iocppc32.install' failed
make[1]: *** [iocppc32.install] Error 1
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'iocBoot.install' failed
make: *** [iocBoot.install] Error 2

tux% make -sj
tux% make -sq CHECK_RELEASE=NO
Warning: RELEASE file consistency checks have been disabled
tux% touch testApp/Db/user.substitutions
tux% make -sq CHECK_RELEASE=NO
Warning: RELEASE file consistency checks have been disabled
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_ARCHS:61: recipe for target 'install.linux-x86_64' failed
make[2]: *** [install.linux-x86_64] Error 1
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'Db.install' failed
make[1]: *** [Db.install] Error 2
/home/phoebus/ANJ/epics/base/3-14-dev/configure/RULES_DIRS:83: recipe for target 'testApp.install' failed
make: *** [testApp.install] Error 2

I will commit the $(info ..) change to the 3.14 branch.

This doesn't answer your question about genVersionHeader.pl though, there is a fundamental incompatibility there.