X-Git-Url: http://erislabs.net/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fmake-stds.texi;h=cd9f0623a03e587b659ddc700dee788a91ac3a3e;hb=a384f7b60fe25290428e5a88a41cc7de5272ffaf;hp=24bb5d044aeec3fb407a46dd57ea0c3cdb77d438;hpb=88135129793697f8694ebb4c5e0654540c1dc0d5;p=gnulib.git

diff --git a/doc/make-stds.texi b/doc/make-stds.texi
index 24bb5d044..cd9f0623a 100644
--- a/doc/make-stds.texi
+++ b/doc/make-stds.texi
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 @cindex standards for makefiles
 
 @c Copyright (C) 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001,
-@c 2004, 2005 Free @c Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
 @c Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
 @c under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1
@@ -293,9 +293,18 @@ installed.
 
 Installation directories should always be named by variables, so it is
 easy to install in a nonstandard place.  The standard names for these
-variables are described below.  They are based on a standard filesystem
-layout; variants of it are used in SVR4, 4.4BSD, GNU/Linux, Ultrix v4,
-and other modern operating systems.
+variables and the values they should have in GNU packages are
+described below.  They are based on a standard filesystem layout;
+variants of it are used in GNU/Linux and other modern operating
+systems.
+
+Installers are expected to override these values when calling
+@command{make} (e.g., @kbd{make prefix=/usr install} or
+@command{configure} (e.g., @kbd{configure --prefix=/usr}).  GNU
+packages should not try to guess which value should be appropriate for
+these variables on the system they are being installed onto: use the
+default settings specified here so that all GNU packages behave
+identically, allowing the installer to achieve any desired layout.
 
 These two variables set the root for the installation.  All the other
 installation directories should be subdirectories of one of these two,
@@ -355,6 +364,12 @@ The directory for installing executable programs to be run by other
 programs rather than by users.  This directory should normally be
 @file{/usr/local/libexec}, but write it as @file{$(exec_prefix)/libexec}.
 (If you are using Autoconf, write it as @samp{@@libexecdir@@}.)
+
+The definition of @samp{libexecdir} is the same for all packages, so
+you should install your data in a subdirectory thereof.  Most packages
+install their data under @file{$(libexecdir)/@var{package-name}/},
+possibly within additional subdirectories thereof, such as
+@file{$(libexecdir)/@var{package-name}/@var{machine}/@var{version}}.
 @end table
 
 Data files used by the program during its execution are divided into
@@ -384,20 +399,26 @@ to put these various kinds of files in:
 @item datarootdir
 The root of the directory tree for read-only architecture-independent
 data files.  This should normally be @file{/usr/local/share}, but
-write it as @file{$(prefix)/share}.  @samp{datadir}'s default value is
-based on this variable; so are @samp{infodir}, @samp{mandir}, and others.
+write it as @file{$(prefix)/share}.  (If you are using Autoconf, write
+it as @samp{@@datarootdir@@}.)  @samp{datadir}'s default value is
+based on this variable; so are @samp{infodir}, @samp{mandir}, and
+others.
 
 @item datadir
 The directory for installing idiosyncratic read-only
 architecture-independent data files for this program.  This is usually
 the same place as @samp{datarootdir}, but we use the two separate
-variables so that you can move these idiosyncratic files without
+variables so that you can move these program-specific files without
 altering the location for Info files, man pages, etc.
 
-The default definition of @samp{datadir} should be
+This should normally be @file{/usr/local/share}, but write it as
 @file{$(datarootdir)}.  (If you are using Autoconf, write it as
 @samp{@@datadir@@}.)
 
+The definition of @samp{datadir} is the same for all packages, so you
+should install your data in a subdirectory thereof.  Most packages
+install their data under @file{$(datadir)/@var{package-name}/}.
+
 @item sysconfdir
 The directory for installing read-only data files that pertain to a
 single machine--that is to say, files for configuring a host.  Mailer
@@ -525,7 +546,8 @@ AC_SUBST(lispdir)
 The directory for installing locale-specific message catalogs for this
 package.  By default, it should be @file{/usr/local/share/locale}, but
 it should be written as @file{$(datarootdir)/locale}.  (If you are
-using Autoconf, write it as @samp{@@localedir@@}.)
+using Autoconf, write it as @samp{@@localedir@@}.)  This directory
+usually has a subdirectory per locale.
 @end table
 
 Unix-style man pages are installed in one of the following: