contrib/README

This is the 'contrib' directory of the GNU Automake-NG distribution.

Here you'll find additions to the Automake-NG base distribution, in form
of makefile fragments, m4 macros, scripts, documentation, et cetera.  Such
addition that might be useful for a significant percentage of its general
audience, but (for one reason or another) are not deemed appropriate for
inclusion into the Automake-NG core.

There are several reasons for which a feature can be kept in contrib:

  1. The long-term usefulness of the feature is debatable and uncertain;
     on-field and real-word testing are necessary to prove or disprove its
     usefulness, before the feature can be committed into the Automake-NG
     core (as doing so too early would later force us to continue the
     support for backward-compatibility, even if the features proves
     flawed or fails to attract widespread use).

  2. The APIs or overall design of the feature are still unstable, and
     need on-field testing to iron warts and usability bugs, or uncover
     potential flaws.

  3. The feature was an historical one, mostly obsoleted but still used
     "here and there" in the wild; so we want to to deprecate it and
     remove it from the Automake-NG core, but cannot remove it altogether,
     for the sake of those still-existing usage.  So it gets moved in
     contrib.