From: David MacKenzie Date: Fri, 26 Aug 1994 03:39:02 +0000 (+0000) Subject: fiddle with wording X-Git-Tag: fsf-origin~517 X-Git-Url: http://git.ipfire.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=commitdiff_plain;h=cbda46d6768c68ab4950fc8db6ce167e7518d0e6;p=thirdparty%2Fautoconf.git fiddle with wording --- diff --git a/autoconf.texi b/autoconf.texi index 362ffe75d..e84d86014 100644 --- a/autoconf.texi +++ b/autoconf.texi @@ -3826,13 +3826,13 @@ using the file name @file{Makefile.in} as the templates; adding As I got feedback from users, I incorporated many improvements, using Emacs to search and replace, cut and paste, similar changes in each of the scripts. As I adapted more GNU utilities packages to use -@code{configure} scripts, updating them all by hand became burdensome. +@code{configure} scripts, updating them all by hand became impractical. Rich Murphey, the maintainer of the GNU graphics utilities, sent me mail saying that the @code{configure} scripts were great, and asking if I had -a program for generating them that I could send him. No, I thought, but +a tool for generating them that I could send him. No, I thought, but I should! So I started to work out how to generate them. And the journey from the bondage of hand-written @file{configure} scripts to the -promise of Autoconf began. +ease of Autoconf began. Cygnus @code{configure}, which was being developed at around that time, is table driven; it is meant to deal mainly with a discrete number of @@ -3849,7 +3849,8 @@ I considered using an architecture similar to that of Cygnus reads pieces of @file{configure.in} when run. But I didn't want to have to distribute all of the feature tests with every package, so I settled on having a different @code{configure} made from each -@file{configure.in} by a preprocessor. +@file{configure.in} by a preprocessor. That approach also offered more +control and flexibility I looked briefly into using Larry Wall's Metaconfig program, but I decided not to for several reasons. The @code{Configure} scripts it @@ -3893,13 +3894,15 @@ Fran\c cois Pinard, who came up with the idea of making an @file{autoconf} shell script to run @code{m4} and check for unresolved macro calls; Karl Berry, who championed standardizing the @code{HAVE_@var{feature}} form -for C preprocessor symbols; and Ian Taylor, who added support for -creating a C header file as an alternative to putting @samp{-D} options -in a @file{Makefile}, so he could use it in his UUCP package. The alpha -testers cheerfully adjusted their files again and again as the names and -calling conventions of the Autoconf macros changed from release to -release. They all contributed many specific checks, great ideas, and -bug fixes. +for C preprocessor symbols; Rich Pixley, who suggested running the +compiler instead of searching the file system to find include files and +symbols, for more accurate results; and Ian Taylor, who added support +for creating a C header file as an alternative to putting @samp{-D} +options in a @file{Makefile}, so he could use Autoconf in his UUCP +package. The alpha testers cheerfully adjusted their files again and +again as the names and calling conventions of the Autoconf macros +changed from release to release. They all contributed many specific +checks, great ideas, and bug fixes. @node Numbers, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, History @section Numbers @@ -3918,7 +3921,7 @@ length of the macros that Autoconf defined, and several bugs showed up in GNU @code{m4} as well. Eventually, we realized that we needed to use some features that only GNU @code{m4} has. BSD @code{m4}, in particular, has an impoverished set of builtin macros; the System V -version is better, but still doesn't have everything we need. +version is better, but still doesn't provide everything we need. More development occurred as people put Autoconf under more stresses (and to uses I hadn't anticipated). Karl Berry added checks for X11. @@ -3960,21 +3963,22 @@ the checks between runs, because (particularly when configuring a large source tree, like Cygnus does) they were frustratingly slow. Mike Haertel suggested adding site-specific initialization scripts. People distributing software that had to unpack on MS-DOS asked for a way to -override the @file{.in} extension on the file names. Jim Avera did an -extensive examination of the problems with quoting in @code{AC_DEFINE}; -his insights led to significant improvements. Richard Stallman asked -that compiler output be sent to @file{config.log} instead of -@file{/dev/null}, to help people debug the Emacs @code{configure} -script. +override the @file{.in} extension on the file names, which produced file +names like @file{config.h.in} containing two dots. Jim Avera did an +extensive examination of the problems with quoting in @code{AC_DEFINE} +and @code{AC_SUBST}; his insights led to significant improvements. +Richard Stallman asked that compiler output be sent to @file{config.log} +instead of @file{/dev/null}, to help people debug the Emacs +@code{configure} script. I made some other changes because of my dissatisfaction with the quality of the program. I made the messages showing results of the checks less ambiguous, always printing a result. I regularized the names of the macros and cleaned up coding style inconsistencies. I added some -useful auxiliary utilities that I had developed to help convert source -code packages to use Autoconf. And I began a testsuite, because -experience had shown that Autoconf has a pronounced tendency to regress -when we change it. +auxiliary utilities that I had developed to help convert source code +packages to use Autoconf. And I began a testsuite, because experience +had shown that Autoconf has a pronounced tendency to regress when we +change it. Again, several alpha testers gave invaluable feedback, especially @ifinfo @@ -3983,7 +3987,7 @@ Franc,ois @tex Fran\c cois @end tex -Pinard, Rob Savoye, and Ken Raeburn. +Pinard, Jim Meyering, Karl Berry, Rob Savoye, and Ken Raeburn. Finally, version 2.0 was ready. And there was much rejoicing. (And I have free time again. I think.) diff --git a/doc/autoconf.texi b/doc/autoconf.texi index 362ffe75d..e84d86014 100644 --- a/doc/autoconf.texi +++ b/doc/autoconf.texi @@ -3826,13 +3826,13 @@ using the file name @file{Makefile.in} as the templates; adding As I got feedback from users, I incorporated many improvements, using Emacs to search and replace, cut and paste, similar changes in each of the scripts. As I adapted more GNU utilities packages to use -@code{configure} scripts, updating them all by hand became burdensome. +@code{configure} scripts, updating them all by hand became impractical. Rich Murphey, the maintainer of the GNU graphics utilities, sent me mail saying that the @code{configure} scripts were great, and asking if I had -a program for generating them that I could send him. No, I thought, but +a tool for generating them that I could send him. No, I thought, but I should! So I started to work out how to generate them. And the journey from the bondage of hand-written @file{configure} scripts to the -promise of Autoconf began. +ease of Autoconf began. Cygnus @code{configure}, which was being developed at around that time, is table driven; it is meant to deal mainly with a discrete number of @@ -3849,7 +3849,8 @@ I considered using an architecture similar to that of Cygnus reads pieces of @file{configure.in} when run. But I didn't want to have to distribute all of the feature tests with every package, so I settled on having a different @code{configure} made from each -@file{configure.in} by a preprocessor. +@file{configure.in} by a preprocessor. That approach also offered more +control and flexibility I looked briefly into using Larry Wall's Metaconfig program, but I decided not to for several reasons. The @code{Configure} scripts it @@ -3893,13 +3894,15 @@ Fran\c cois Pinard, who came up with the idea of making an @file{autoconf} shell script to run @code{m4} and check for unresolved macro calls; Karl Berry, who championed standardizing the @code{HAVE_@var{feature}} form -for C preprocessor symbols; and Ian Taylor, who added support for -creating a C header file as an alternative to putting @samp{-D} options -in a @file{Makefile}, so he could use it in his UUCP package. The alpha -testers cheerfully adjusted their files again and again as the names and -calling conventions of the Autoconf macros changed from release to -release. They all contributed many specific checks, great ideas, and -bug fixes. +for C preprocessor symbols; Rich Pixley, who suggested running the +compiler instead of searching the file system to find include files and +symbols, for more accurate results; and Ian Taylor, who added support +for creating a C header file as an alternative to putting @samp{-D} +options in a @file{Makefile}, so he could use Autoconf in his UUCP +package. The alpha testers cheerfully adjusted their files again and +again as the names and calling conventions of the Autoconf macros +changed from release to release. They all contributed many specific +checks, great ideas, and bug fixes. @node Numbers, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, History @section Numbers @@ -3918,7 +3921,7 @@ length of the macros that Autoconf defined, and several bugs showed up in GNU @code{m4} as well. Eventually, we realized that we needed to use some features that only GNU @code{m4} has. BSD @code{m4}, in particular, has an impoverished set of builtin macros; the System V -version is better, but still doesn't have everything we need. +version is better, but still doesn't provide everything we need. More development occurred as people put Autoconf under more stresses (and to uses I hadn't anticipated). Karl Berry added checks for X11. @@ -3960,21 +3963,22 @@ the checks between runs, because (particularly when configuring a large source tree, like Cygnus does) they were frustratingly slow. Mike Haertel suggested adding site-specific initialization scripts. People distributing software that had to unpack on MS-DOS asked for a way to -override the @file{.in} extension on the file names. Jim Avera did an -extensive examination of the problems with quoting in @code{AC_DEFINE}; -his insights led to significant improvements. Richard Stallman asked -that compiler output be sent to @file{config.log} instead of -@file{/dev/null}, to help people debug the Emacs @code{configure} -script. +override the @file{.in} extension on the file names, which produced file +names like @file{config.h.in} containing two dots. Jim Avera did an +extensive examination of the problems with quoting in @code{AC_DEFINE} +and @code{AC_SUBST}; his insights led to significant improvements. +Richard Stallman asked that compiler output be sent to @file{config.log} +instead of @file{/dev/null}, to help people debug the Emacs +@code{configure} script. I made some other changes because of my dissatisfaction with the quality of the program. I made the messages showing results of the checks less ambiguous, always printing a result. I regularized the names of the macros and cleaned up coding style inconsistencies. I added some -useful auxiliary utilities that I had developed to help convert source -code packages to use Autoconf. And I began a testsuite, because -experience had shown that Autoconf has a pronounced tendency to regress -when we change it. +auxiliary utilities that I had developed to help convert source code +packages to use Autoconf. And I began a testsuite, because experience +had shown that Autoconf has a pronounced tendency to regress when we +change it. Again, several alpha testers gave invaluable feedback, especially @ifinfo @@ -3983,7 +3987,7 @@ Franc,ois @tex Fran\c cois @end tex -Pinard, Rob Savoye, and Ken Raeburn. +Pinard, Jim Meyering, Karl Berry, Rob Savoye, and Ken Raeburn. Finally, version 2.0 was ready. And there was much rejoicing. (And I have free time again. I think.)