Re: [Groff] Macro path and /usr/local

[Werner LEMBERG]

> Now, I'm somewhat confused by this part of groff/Makefile.in:
> 
>   # systemtmacdir says where to install platform-dependent macros
>   systemtmacdir=$(libprogramdir)/site-tmac
>   
>   # localtmacdir says where local files will be installed
>   localtmacdir=$(dataprogramdir)/site-tmac
> 
> Since I build with --prefix=/usr, libprogramdir is /usr/lib/groff
> while dataprogramdir is /usr/share/groff. I have to say that I can't
> think of any plausible reason for platform-dependent (does this mean
> architecture-dependent?) macros, and I think localtmacdir ought to
> point to something in /usr/local. Can anyone clarify the intent of
> these comments for me?

systemtmacdir holds data specific to the operating system groff is
running under.  For example, assume --prefix is /usr/local, and you
install under SunOS.  By default, groff tests whether SunOS provides
/usr/lib/tmac/s (which it usually does; aclocal.m4 checks some other
possible locations and macro prefixes also).  If found, groff installs
its own s.tmac as gs.tmac in /usr/local/share/groff-1.18/tmac, and a
small wrapper file /usr/local/lib/groff/s.tmac which looks like this:

  .cp 1
  .so /usr/lib/tmac/s

So -ms will use the ms implementation of SunOS, and -mgs will use
groff's ms version.

BTW, this behaviour can be suppressed during installation by saying

  make install tmac_wrap=""

So systemtmacdir is really platform-dependent and not
architecture-dependent, since SunOS exists for various architectures
AFAIK.

> What would people think about moving systemtmacdir to
> /usr/share/groff/site-tmac

This isn't a good idea IMHO for the reasons outlined above.

> and localtmacdir to /usr/local/share/groff/site-tmac?

This would be an additional directory, but configure hasn't a switch
for using a second (local) directory tree.  Additionally, another
groff version installed in /usr/local might collide with groff
installed in /usr.  Theoretically I should add (similar to Emacs) the
directory <PREFIX>/share/groff/<version>/site-tmac, but this is
probably overkill.

You have to fix this in your Debian change file for groff, I believe.


    Werner