Re: Package version number, autoconf, automake

[Gavin Smith]

On Fri, Apr 12, 2019 at 10:56:21AM +0000, Dudziak Krzysztof wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I am not sure if my own understanding of `autoconf` and `automake` purpose 
> assignment is correct:
> 
> `autoconf` seems to be about configurations
> * to be built on
> * to be built for
> * toolchain to be built on and for
>    where all can physically be one single machine

It's also for the user to choose features with --enable- and --with- options.

> `automake` seems to be about
> * what to build
> * how to build
> 
> If the above is right and if to use its point of view I wonder if some 
> `automake` macro instead of `autoconf` macro `AC_INIT` was not a more natural 
> location for package version number specification.

The autoconf manual states about the AC_INIT arguments:

     Set the name of the PACKAGE and its VERSION.  These are typically
     used in `--version' support, including that of `configure'.

Running "./configure --version" seems like a rare use case, but 
"./configure --help" is very useful, and it is needed there too.
The PACKAGE output variable might also be useful when automake is not 
being used.

I think it would be nice if you could specify PACKAGE and VERSION in 
Makefile.am instead, so that Makefile.am contains all the information 
about the project, but this would likely require major changes, as the 
configure script is generated from configure.ac and doesn't have access 
to information inside Makefile.am.  Maybe it would be possible if the 
configure script was run from a Makefile rule instead of independently.