Subject: Re: bug#10878: "make dist" with read-only srcdir generates read-only tarball

From: Stefano Lattarini <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:48:48 +0100

On 02/24/2012 09:36 PM, Nick Bowler wrote:
>
> I use the rule that no part of the build should write to srcdir, ever:
> so it should be possible to do a successful VPATH build with a
> maintainer-cleaned, read-only srcdir.
>
Note that automake does not honour this expectation (for example,
distributed info files are generated in the srcdir).  Such a policy
of "always place generated but distributed files in the $(srcdir)"
might become more common and even advised in the future, due to subtle
breakages that might be triggered by having an outdated version of a
generated file in srcdir and a "more fresh" one in the builddir; for
a real-world example of such a breakage, see:
  <http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=10852#11>
and following messages.

> I believe this actually goes above and beyond what Automake provides.
>
True, especially in light of the above.

Regards,
  Stefano