Re: [PATCH] {maint} docs: recursive make considered harmful

[Stefano Lattarini]

On 06/12/2012 05:25 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> In the documentation, we shouldn't confuse "packages using subdirectories"
> with "packages using recursive make invocations".  A package can have a
> careful organization in subdirectories, make no (or almost no) use of make
> recursion (examples of such packages are GNU bison, GNU cppi, and Automake
> itself).
> 
> In fact, make recursion should be used as seldom as possible, because it
> makes the build system more brittle and dependency declarations less
> faithful.  See Peter Miller's article "Recursive Make Considered Harmful"
> for more a more in-depth discussion:
> 
>     http://miller.emu.id.au/pmiller/books/rmch/
> 
> * doc/automake.texi (Directories): Clarify how a build system based on
> make recursion does.  Observe that such a system, albeit being very
> widespread, has its own issues and drawbacks, and that one can have a
> non-recursive setup also for projects using complex directory layout.
> (Recursing subdirectories): Speak of "packages that use make recursion"
> rather than of "packages with subdirectories".
> 
Pushed.

Regards,
   Stefano