Re: AC_INIT translates PACKAGE to lower case

[Akim Demaille]

| Am Mit, 2002-01-30 um 14.15 schrieb Akim Demaille:
| > >>>>> "Ralf" == Ralf Corsepius <address@hidden> writes:
| > 
| > Ralf> If using the new AC_INIT and AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE syntax, PACKAGE
| > Ralf> gets translated to lower case letters. - Why this change?
| > 
| > Because that's the case for most packages.  But that's not true:
| > PACKAGE_NAME is not lower cased.
| Right, but the problem here is backward compatibility. 

It can't be!  It cannot be a backward compatibility issue, given that
Automake uses AC_PACKAGE_TARNAME as PACKAGE only if you don't pass
arguments to AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE.  Which is supported only since a few
days ago.


| People are using @PACKAGE@ and will be surprized if things will change,
| "just because of having upgraded autoconf/automake".
| 
| [E.g. I am using @PACKAGE@ in autoconf generated rpm-specs.]

See above.


| > Ralf> Furthermore, PACKAGE_TARNAME also is transformed to lower case
| > Ralf> letters - Why this change?
| > 
| > It _is_ true for TARNAME.  Which is the one that makes sense for
| > Automake when it makes dist.
| 
| You seem to be missing, that packages which use mixed upper and lower
| case letter package and tarball names for whatever reasons for years
| will out of a sudden be named differently. 
| 
| This will break package managers' infrastructures and a lot more.

If these guys change their invocation of AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE without
reading the doc, then indeed, _they_ will break their packages.



| > Unification.  Let's say that you are used to the present scheme, but
| > for a fresh person, there is obviously a problem.
| Why? IMHO, autoconf here is going too far. I can't see a single
| technical reason why packages should be lowercase only.

There is no technical reason to remove spaces either.  Just tradition.
If the traditional scheme is not OK for you, then change
AC_PACKAGE_TARNAME.



| Do you really think it would be clever if Xt, Xm and TeX suddenly would
| have to be renamed, just because autoconf wants it this way?

Miscommunication :)   There is no such will.


| In one sentence: I consider the new behavior to be a very bad idea and
| would like to see the old behavior back.

There is no such old behavior.