| This is the 'contrib' directory of the GNU Automake distribution. |
| |
| Here you'll find additions to the Automake base distribution, in the form of |
| makefile fragments, m4 macros, scripts, documentation, et cetera: additions |
| that might be handy to many users, but (for one reason or another) are not |
| deemed appropriate for inclusion into the Automake core. |
| |
| There are several reasons that a feature might be kept in contrib: |
| |
| 1. The long-term usefulness of the feature is debatable and uncertain; |
| real-world testing is necessary to prove or disprove its usefulness, |
| before the feature can be committed into the Automake core (as doing so |
| too early would later force us to continue support for |
| backward-compatibility, even if the feature proved flawed or fails to |
| attract widespread use). |
| |
| 2. The APIs or overall design of the feature are still unstable, and need |
| testing to iron out warts and usability bugs, or uncover potential flaws. |
| |
| 3. The feature was an historical one, mostly obsolete but still used in the |
| wild. We want to deprecate it and remove it from the Automake core, but |
| cannot remove it altogether, for the sake of the existing usage, so it |
| gets moved to contrib. |
