Basic improvements to INSTALL.

* doc/install.texi (Basic Installation): Use better markup.
(Multiple Architectures): Introduce the term VPATH.
(Installation Names): Mention that --prefix must be absolute.
* doc/autoconf.texi (Preset Output Variables)
(Installation Directory Variables): Consistently refer to GNU
Coding Standards.

Signed-off-by: Eric Blake <ebb9@byu.net>

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 3953bbdd75581326a8cd1754c925425991acd522..63f5800fcb1f58240f49a3fae90f4e3fd5bd2216 100644 (file)
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 2009-07-26  Eric Blake  <ebb9@byu.net>
 
+       Basic improvements to INSTALL.
+       * doc/install.texi (Basic Installation): Use better markup.
+       (Multiple Architectures): Introduce the term VPATH.
+       (Installation Names): Mention that --prefix must be absolute.
+       * doc/autoconf.texi (Preset Output Variables)
+       (Installation Directory Variables): Consistently refer to GNU
+       Coding Standards.
+
        Update some upstream files.
        * build-aux/config.guess: Resynchronize from upstream.
        * build-aux/config.sub: Likewise.

diff --git a/doc/autoconf.texi b/doc/autoconf.texi
index 347e0f2c479a2236e138a1585df54be4c3bc96db..4f046c069cd9a48eddbb29f40c67d79154030590 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/autoconf.texi
+++ b/doc/autoconf.texi
@@ -2366,7 +2366,7 @@ matters get tricky.  One approach to put such options directly into
 @code{CPPFLAGS} and @code{LDFLAGS}, but not into @code{CFLAGS}.
 
 However, remember that some @file{Makefile} variables are reserved by
-the GNU Coding Standards for the use of the ``user''---the person
+the @acronym{GNU} Coding Standards for the use of the ``user''---the person
 building the package.  For instance, @code{CFLAGS} is one such variable.
 
 Sometimes package developers are tempted to set user variables such as
@@ -2419,7 +2419,7 @@ can do if an option affects other phases of the compiler as well.
 Currently, @command{configure} always links as part of a single
 invocation of the compiler that also preprocesses and compiles, so it
 uses this variable also when linking programs.  However, it is unwise to
-depend on this behavior because the @acronym{GNU} coding standards do
+depend on this behavior because the @acronym{GNU} Coding Standards do
 not require it and many packages do not use @code{CPPFLAGS} when linking
 programs.
 
@@ -2719,7 +2719,7 @@ variables keep them unexpanded: typically @samp{@@datarootdir@@} is
 replaced by @samp{$@{prefix@}/share}, not @samp{/usr/local/share}, and
 @samp{@@datadir@@} is replaced by @samp{$@{datarootdir@}}.
 
-This behavior is mandated by the @acronym{GNU} coding standards, so that when
+This behavior is mandated by the @acronym{GNU} Coding Standards, so that when
 the user runs:
 
 @table @samp
@@ -17368,7 +17368,7 @@ OK, but copies from older versions are vulnerable.
 @c -------------------
 @prindex @command{mkfifo}
 @prindex @command{mknod}
-The GNU Coding Standards state that @command{mknod} is safe to use on
+The @acronym{GNU} Coding Standards state that @command{mknod} is safe to use on
 platforms where it has been tested to exist; but it is generally portable
 only for creating named FIFOs, since device numbers are
 platform-specific.  Autotest uses @command{mkfifo} to implement parallel

diff --git a/doc/install.texi b/doc/install.texi
index 3fc429854fecd9c6e4585f1c42c7bd9634be7ee5..abd710ddfd7e7415e237201349ba8742467fb485 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/install.texi
+++ b/doc/install.texi
@@ -47,16 +47,15 @@ cache, and at some point @file{config.cache} contains results you don't
 want to keep, you may remove or edit it.
 
 The file @file{configure.ac} (or @file{configure.in}) is used to create
-@file{configure} by a program called @code{autoconf}.  You need
+@file{configure} by a program called @command{autoconf}.  You need
 @file{configure.ac} if you want to change it or regenerate
-@file{configure} using a newer version of @code{autoconf}.
+@file{configure} using a newer version of @command{autoconf}.
 
-@noindent
 The simplest way to compile this package is:
 
 @enumerate
 @item
-@code{cd} to the directory containing the package's source code and type
+@command{cd} to the directory containing the package's source code and type
 @samp{./configure} to configure the package for your system.
 
 Running @command{configure} might take a while.  While running, it prints some
@@ -115,7 +114,8 @@ own directory.  To do this, you can use @acronym{GNU} @command{make}.
 @command{cd} to the directory where you want the object files and
 executables to go and run the @command{configure} script.
 @command{configure} automatically checks for the source code in the
-directory that @command{configure} is in and in @file{..}.
+directory that @command{configure} is in and in @file{..}.  This is
+known as a @dfn{VPATH} build.
 
 With a non-@acronym{GNU} @command{make},
 it is safer to compile the package for one
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ By default, @samp{make install} installs the package's commands under
 @file{/usr/local/bin}, include files under @file{/usr/local/include}, etc.
 You can specify an
 installation prefix other than @file{/usr/local} by giving
-@command{configure} the option @option{--prefix=@var{prefix}}.
+@command{configure} the option @option{--prefix=@var{prefix}}, where
+@var{prefix} must be an absolute path.
 
 You can specify separate installation prefixes for architecture-specific
 files and architecture-independent files.  If you pass the option