Re: Shouldn't the definition of maintainer-clean be changed?

[Benoit Sigoure]

Quoting Ralf Wildenhues <address@hidden>:

> Hello everyone,
>
> First, please be aware of another thread discussing a similar topic:
> <http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.gnulib.bugs/9692/focus=9695>
>
> * Benoit Sigoure wrote on Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 12:39:32PM CET:
> > In a first time, I'm trying to implement --clean in
> > autoreconf/aclocal/autoconf/autoheader/automake (maybe in autopoint too?
> > I've discovered this tool yesterday when reading the code of
> > autoreconf)
>
> Again, please look at the gnulib thread, and avoid doing work twice.
> Thanks.
>
> > Then I'm thinking of implementing a target such as "bootclean" that
> > would do maintainer-clean + un-bootstrap.
>
> The "bootstrap" name is another thing open to discussion.  FWIW, I don't
> care enough, but at least for the autotools packages themselves, the
> name makes sense: they do solve some kind of chicken and egg problem.

Here is a first patch proposal that adds a --clean option to autoreconf,
autoconf, autoheader, aclocal, automake and libtoolize.

I don't know if I was meant to send this mail to the <project>-patches mailing
lists since it isn't something that will be applied but really a simple
proposal. Since it's the first time I actually hack these things, 
comments from
code reviewers are welcome.

There is more work to be done: filling ChangeLog/NEWS entries, 
documenting this
in manuals, supporting autopoint and maybe some other auto<stuff> I might have
omitted, and most important I think: adding tests (new feature = new bugs =>
new tests).

Also I noticed that there is one thing that remains after a autoreconf 
--clean:
the autom4te.cache directory. But I don't quite know at which stage and which
tool ought to remove it.

Cheers,

--
SIGOURE Benoit aka Tsuna
  _____
 /EPITA\ Promo 2008, LRDE

autoconf-clean.patch
Description: Text document

automake-clean.patch
Description: Text document

libtool-clean.patch
Description: Text document