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Use of the m4 macros and standard package


From: Patrice Dumas
Subject: Use of the m4 macros and standard package
Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 16:20:30 +0200
User-agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i

Hi,

I think that the gnulib manual isn't very clear about the use of the macros
provided by gnulib-tool. My understanding, after reading the macros is that 
whenever gl_EARLY and gl_INIT are used there is no need to explicitely call 
macros like
AC_FUNC_ALLOCA
nor to use the specific gnulib macro, like gl_FUNC_ALLOCA or AM_FUNC_GETLINE.
I think it should be stated more clearly. 

I also think that "complete" configure.ac and Makefile.am used as examples
for a virtual very simple project using gnulib are missing.

If my interpretation is right and such examples are really needed I can do a 
patch to gnulib.texi, with the example too.



Last I think that gnulib is not advertised enough nor easy to install
enough, although it is a very natural companion for autoconf. Without 
gnulib, using macros like AC_FUNC_ALLOCA or AC_FUNC_MEMCMP requires 
too much work rendering those macros almost useless. And if this work
is done it is a wasted effort as it allready exists in gnulib.

Now the only way to install gnulib is to get it from CVS and run 
gnulib-tool from the CVS sources, this is not standard for GNU things.
In my opinion it should be much simpler if the scripts went to ${bindir}
the m4, lib and modules dir went to ${pkgdatadir} and the package
was available as a standard and very very simple autoconf/automake 
package. It would be even better if this was backward compatible, ie the
scripts still could be called from the source directory.

Pat




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