qemu 5.2.0 configure script explodes when in read only directory

This bug has been copied automatically from: https://bugs.launchpad.net/qemu/+bug/1922625
Reported by 'Ryan Schmidt' on 2021-04-06 :

I extracted the qemu 5.2.0 source as one user, and then tried to run
`./configure --help` in that directory as a different user. Normal
autoconf configure scripts have no problem with this but yours goes into
an infinite loop printing nonsense:

Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied
touch: build/auto-created-by-configure: No such file or directory
./configure: line 37: GNUmakefile: Permission denied
./configure: line 59: cd: build: No such file or directory
Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied
touch: build/auto-created-by-configure: No such file or directory
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 37: GNUmakefile: Permission denied
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 59: cd: build: No such file or
directory
Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied
touch: build/auto-created-by-configure: No such file or directory
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 37: GNUmakefile: Permission denied
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 59: cd: build: No such file or
directory
Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied
touch: build/auto-created-by-configure: No such file or directory
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 37: GNUmakefile: Permission denied
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 59: cd: build: No such file or
directory
Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied
touch: build/auto-created-by-configure: No such file or directory
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 37: GNUmakefile: Permission denied
/path/to/qemu-5.2.0/configure: line 59: cd: build: No such file or
directory
Using './build' as the directory for build output
mkdir: build: Permission denied

etc.