custom install options: No more binPROGRAMS_INSTALL?

[Alessandro Vesely]

Hi,
searching the web I found suggestions to use install-exec-hook and
from there issue chown/chmod as needed.  However, some years ago I had
found instructions for setting those in Makefile.am like so:

helloexecdir = @MY_AC_STUFF@
helloexec_PROGRAMS = whatever
helloexecPROGRAMS_INSTALL = $(INSTALL_PROGRAM)@MY_OTHER_AC_STUFF@

First line still works, third one does not.  MY_OTHER_AC_STUFF
contains the required -o and -g options to install; the variable is
defined but not used.

Is that possibility gone for good?  Are hooks the only way?

TIA
Ale

P.S. I'm using automake 1.11.6 (Debian wheezy)