Re: improve INSTALL contents

[Eric Blake]

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According to Ralf Wildenhues on 5/15/2009 12:00 AM:
> * Alfred M. Szmidt wrote on Fri, May 15, 2009 at 04:45:21AM CEST:
>>    In addition, if you use an unusual directory layout you can give
>>    options like @address@hidden to specify different
>>    values for particular kinds of files.  Run @samp{configure --help}
>>    for a list of the directories you can set and what kinds of files
>>    go in them.  In general, the default for these options is expressed
>>    in terms of @address@hidden@}}, so that specifying just
>>    @option{--prefix} will affect all of the other directory
>>    specifications.
>>    
>>    If you wish to install the package into a staging directory
>>    (e.g. for packaging or testing purposes) then you can set the
>>    DESTDIR variable, @samp{make address@hidden install}.
> 
> What about packages that don't support arbitrary prefix override
> (all those using current libtool), or packages or systems that don't
> support DESTDIR installs?  This wording creates problems for them.

Indeed - I want to be very clear in INSTALL that there are some basics
that pretty much any client of this file provide (make, make install), and
some options that nice packages provide but which may fail if someone
borrowed this file but does follow everything checked by automake's
distcheck (whether or not they use automake).  Would it be better to put
the discussion of DESTDIR in the Optional Features node, alongside the
discussion of --enable-silent-rules?  Or do we just keep a disclaimer
phrase in place, such as:

    Some packages support installation into a staging directory
    (e.g. for packaging or testing purposes), by setting the
    DESTDIR variable, as in @samp{make address@hidden install}.

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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