This new 'contrib' hierarchy will be a good place were to move implementation/support for obsolescent features we are not yet ready to remove completely, or were to leave experimental or third-party features to cook before their eventual inclusion in the automake core.
* contrib: New directory. * contrib/README: New file. * contrib/Makefile.am: New file. (EXTRA_DIST): Distribute README. --- contrib/Makefile.am | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++ contrib/README | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 47 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-) create mode 100644 contrib/Makefile.am create mode 100644 contrib/README diff --git a/contrib/Makefile.am b/contrib/Makefile.am new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b491923 --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/Makefile.am @@ -0,0 +1,20 @@ +## Process this file with automake to create Makefile.in + +## Makefile for Automake contrib. + +# Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify +# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by +# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) +# any later version. + +# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, +# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of +# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the +# GNU General Public License for more details. + +# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License +# along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. + +EXTRA_DIST = README diff --git a/contrib/README b/contrib/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bbef72f --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/README @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +This is the 'contrib' directory of the GNU Automake distribution. + +Here you'll find additions to the Automake base distribution, in form of +makefile fragments, m4 macros, scripts, documentation, et cetera. Such +addition that might be useful for a significant percentage of its general +audience, but (for one reason or another) are not deemed appropriate for +inclusion into the Automake core. + +There are several reasons for which a feature can be kept in contrib: + + 1. The long-term usefulness of the feature is debatable and uncertain; + on-field and real-word testing are necessary to prove or disprove + its usefulness, before the feature can be committed into the Automake + core (as doing so too early would later force us to continue the + support for backward-compatibility, even if the features proves + flawed or fails to attract widespread use). + + 2. The APIs or overall design of the feature are still unstable, and + need on-field testing to iron warts and usability bugs, or uncover + potential flaws. + + 3. The feature was an historical one, mostly obsoleted but still used + "here and there" in the wild; so we want to to deprecate it and + remove it from the Automake core, but cannot remove it altogether, + for the sake of those still-existing usage. So it gets moved in + contrib. + -- 1.7.7.3
