Re: Not distributing README-release automatically.

[Jim Meyering]

On Tue, Mar 14, 2017 at 4:34 AM, Mathieu Lirzin <address@hidden> wrote:
> Jim Meyering <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> On Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 8:08 AM, Mathieu Lirzin <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>
>>> Jim Meyering <address@hidden> writes:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, Mar 5, 2017 at 8:12 AM, Mathieu Lirzin <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I have been using 'readme-release' module and was surprised to discover
>>>>> that the "README-release" file was automatically distributed without any
>>>>> mention in the "module/readme-release" file.
>>>>>
>>>>> After some digging I have discovered that all files from the "top"
>>>>> directory are automatically added to EXTRA_DIST.  Here is a snippet from
>>>>> bootstrap that could be removed:
>>>>>
>>>>> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>>>>>       if test -n "$top_files"; then
>>>>>         sed_prepend_topdir='s,^,$(top_srcdir)/,'
>>>>>         echo "EXTRA_DIST += "`echo "$top_files" | sed -e 
>>>>> "$sed_prepend_topdir"`
>>>>>         echo
>>>>>       fi
>>>>> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>>>>>
>>>>> IMO we should move the responsability of distributing "top/*" files to
>>>>> the module definition instead, and not distributing "README-release"
>>>>> automatically (like what is done in Coreutils).
>>>>>
>>>>> What do people think?
>>>>
>>>> Regarding README-release, I'm leery of requiring each
>>>> top-file-specifying module writer to remember to add each such file to
>>>> EXTRA_DIST. An alternative, probably-smaller change may be to add some
>>>> attribute by which a module with such a file could opt out of that
>>>> default.
>>>
>>> That would be fine with me.  However I am not sure this additional logic
>>> would be smaller (or simpler), since IIUC there is currently only 3
>>> top-file-specifying modules:
>>>
>>>   - maintainer-makefile
>>>   - readme-release
>>>   - gnumakefile
>>>
>>> Do I overlook something?
>>
>> I hadn't counted, and expected more. Given there are only three,
>> adding an 'EXTRA_DIST += ...' in two of the three seems reasonable. Do
>> you feel like writing the patch?
>
> Here is the patch:

At first glance, that diff looks perfect.
The only missing piece (actually important, since not easily derived
by looking at the patch) is justification: why make this change. Would
you please adjust the log/ChangeLog to say it is to stop distributing
README-release?