On 1/4/24 06:00, Eric Gallager wrote:
So, `aclocal` has a flag to control this behavior: specifically, its
`--install` flag. Right now I don't see `aclocal` mentioned in the GNU
Coding Standards at all. Should they be updated to include a
recommendation as to whether it's better to put `--install` in
`ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS` or not? Or would such a recommendation be a better
fit for the `automake` manual (since that's where `aclocal` comes
from)?
A common scenario is that the embedded M4 files are not the latest
version and that the code in configure.ac is not compatible with newer
versions that might be installed. Setting the --install flag and make
every developer bootstrap with 'aclocal --install' or anyone trying to
bootstrap an old version of the project would be very fragile. Also
'aclocal --install' only overwrite the embedded copy if the serial
numbers in the files suggest the installed file is a newer version than
the embedded M4 file.
Peter
