Subject: Re: Deprecating and removing the 'mkinstalldir' script

From: Stefano Lattarini <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:35:30 +0100

On 01/04/2013 11:15 AM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> Severity: wishlist
> 
> The 'mksintalldirs' script has been by long superseded by "install-sh -d",
> has  already deprecated in the documentation, and already removed in
> Automake-NG.  I'd like to remove it in future Automake versions.
> 
> However, we must first find a viable way to non-fatally deprecate it
> with some form of runtime warning.
>
Here is a tentative roadmap:

For Automake 1.13.x:

  - edit 'mkinstalldirs' print a non-fatal warning when invoked (keeping
    its behaviour unchanged in every other aspect); this warning should
    reference the use of "install-sh -d".

  - have automake print a warning in the 'obsolete' category when it
    decides to distribute the 'mkinstalldirs' script only because it
    is found in the AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR directory (but *not* if the user
    distributes it explicitly, by listing it in EXTRA_DIST).

For Automake 1.14, or even 1.15:

  - turn both the warnings above into fatal errors.

For the next major version after that:

  - remove the mkinstalldir script from our Git repository altogether,
    and drop any special handling of it from the automake script.

This will allow anyone using older Automake versions to still be compatible
with 1.13.2, 1.14 and 1.15 by simply:

  - committing a copy of 'mkinstalldirs' in his repository;
  - explicitly distributing it by having it listed in EXTRA_DIST.

This is quite low priority, so it might be some time before any actual
patches materializes.

Regards,
  Stefano