Re: documentation error in m4 online help

[Eric Blake]

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[trimming m4-patches]

Hi Karl,

According to Karl Berry on 5/24/2006 3:11 PM:
>     especially since 'make html' is optional
>     according to GNU Coding standards
> 
> html/ps/pdf were added as standard targets not too long ago.  Of course
> that doesn't mean you have to support them instantly -- there isn't even
> a released release of Autoconf that has them yet, though CVS Autoconf
> does.

Hmm, the GCS is a bit inconsistent here.
http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/standards.html#Directory-Variables
states that for htmldir, dvidir, pdfdir, psdir, "(It is not required to
support documentation in all these formats.)".  But then
http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/standards.html#Standard-Targets states
that install-html, install-dvi, install-pdf, and install-ps are required
standard make targets.  Then dvi, html, pdf, and ps are also listed as
standard make targets, but with a caveat "Generate documentation files in
the given format, if possible."  And since dvi et. al are not invoked by
'make all', it is not obvious whether 'make install-dvi' should depend on
dvi or be a no-op if the user didn't first do 'make dvi'.

That said, it now becomes a question of whether we should upgrade the
1.4.x branch of m4 to use automake (to make it MUCH easier to generate all
the GCS required make targets), or to just release 1.4.5 with missing
targets and wait for m4 2.0 (which has already been fully autoconfiscated)
to become compliant with the GCS.

- --
Life is short - so eat dessert first!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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