Re: Slight simplification to README-release

[Bruno Haible]

Reuben Thomas wrote:
> the expectation is that you already have all tests
> passing before you start the release procedure.

Exactly. It makes no sense to work on the packaging details of
code that doesn't even pass its self-tests. So, if the developer
is not yet in the phase where releasing is appropriate, he will
waste time by doing "make distcheck": because "make distcheck"
will take some time running "make dist", "configure", and "make",
before it comes to the "make check" that will fail.

> why not indeed reduce to "make syntax-check distcheck"?

It is reassuring and saves time, while hunting down packaging bugs,
to know that the source code is a priori reasonably correct. That's why
"make check" should come before "make distcheck".

I have no opinion about the position of "make syntax-check" - is
it better to have it before or after "make check"?

Bruno
-- 
In memoriam Bahriye Üçok <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahriye_Üçok>