Re: missing help2man

[Werner LEMBERG]

>     I suggest that in case help2man isn't found, the dummy version
>     of info.1 gets removed (perhaps by adding `|| rm -f $@ && false'
>     to the rules using HELP2MAN).
> 
> Although I could change this in Texinfo as you suggest, it seems to
> me it affects every package using help2man and there's no reason to
> change Texinfo specially.

I don't think so.  The difference to other packages is probably that
texinfo doesn't check the existence of help2man at configure time
which would basically the right thing to do.  Instead, it is a
run-time requirement caused by the --enable-mainter switch.

> I believe it does so because the idea is to let potential
> contributors get on with the "real" work of the package without
> bothering with help2man.  If it didn't generate the target, the
> error message would persist forever.  (It also hardly matters if
> anyone not making a release generates the real man pages.)

Hmm.  Do you suggest to call make repeatedly until all dummy man pages
are created?  I can't believe that.

> And it throws the make error so the user is likely to actually see
> the issue and can install help2man if they so desire.

I did so!  And the result is that I get all man pages right except the
first one (which stays with the `.ab' error message).  Not a useful
behaviour IMHO.


    Werner