-*- outline -*-or This file attempts to describe the rules to use when hacking Autoconf. Don't put this file into the distribution. Don't mention it in the ChangeLog. * Administrivia ** If you incorporate a change from somebody on the net: First, if it is a large change, you must make sure they have signed the appropriate paperwork. Second, be sure to add their name and email address to THANKS. ** Test fixes If a change fixes a test, mention the test in the ChangeLog entry. To this end, the Autotest-mode is handy. ** Bug reports If somebody reports a new bug, mention his name in the ChangeLog entry and in the test case you write. Put him into THANKS. The correct response to most actual bugs is to write a new test case which demonstrates the bug. Then fix the bug, re-run the test suite, and check everything in. ** Visible changes Which include serious bug fixes, must be mentioned in NEWS. ** Portability issues Discoveries in portability matters should be written down in the documentation (what fails, why it fails, *where* it fails, and what's to be written instead?). * Test suite ** make check Use liberally. ** Release checks Try to run the test suite with more severe conditions before a release: - Run `make maintainer-check' This is quite long. It basically runs the test suite using a C++ compiler instead of a C compiler, and within a severe environment (POSIXLY_CORRECT). - Try some real world packages Good examples include the File, Shell or Text utils. * Release Procedure ** Tests See above. ** Update the foreign files Running `make update' in the top level should make it all for you. ** Update configure As much as possible, to try an Autoconf that uses itself. That's easy: just be in the top level, and run tests/autoconf. Or install this autoconf and autoreconf -f. ** Update NEWS The version number, *and* the date of the release (including for betas). ** Update ChangeLog Should have an entry similar to `Version 2.53b.'. Check all this in once `make distcheck' passes. ** make alpha Running `make alpha' is absolutely perfect for beta releases: it makes the tarballs, the xdeltas, and prepares (in /tmp/) a proto announcement. It is so neat, that that's what I use anyway for genuine releases, but adjusting things by hand (e.g., the urls in the announcement file, the ChangeLog which is not needed etc.). If it fails, you're on your own... It requires GNU Make. ** Upload Put the tarballs/xdeltas where they should be. Or put it somewhere, and send the URL to ftp-upload@gnu.org. ** Bump the version number In configure.ac. Run `make', check this in. ** Announce Complete/fix the announcement file, and send it at least to info@gnu.org (if a real release, or a ``serious beta''), autoconf@gnu.org, automake@gnu.og, libtool@gnu.org, and bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org. ----- Copyright (C) 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This file is part of GNU Autoconf. GNU Autoconf 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. GNU Autoconf 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 GNU Autoconf; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.