Subject: Re: building docs on "make release"
To: Todd Whitesel <toddpw@best.com>
From: Simon Burge <simonb@netbsd.org>
List: tech-install
Date: 03/01/2000 14:26:21
Todd Whitesel wrote:

> > The following would appear to DTRT, modulo deleting the building of the
> > notes that some ports (alpha, sparc, x68k) do by themselves.  I'll test
> > this out and commit it if it works ok.
> 
> Two comments:
> 
> - some of the etc/etc.*/Makefile.inc files may do that explicitly, so
> 	the redundant stuff should be cleaned up.

Yup - that's what I meant by "deleting the building of the notes that
some ports ... do by themselves" :-)

> - if we want checksum files in the top level of $RELEASEDIR, then we need
> 	to make sure that happens after the notes are installed.

I've been building pmax releases for a while now, and I'd never noticed
that some ports do checksum the top level!  A quick look shows it's
about half-and-half (for 1.4.1).  My way of thinking is that it's only
really binary files that need checksuming since it's non-obvious when
one is busted somehow.  Well, as long as we make a decision either way
it doesn't matter (and get's done automatically).

> I'm doing 1.4.2 by having each etc/etc.*/Makefile.inc call over to
> distrib/notes, which isn't as elegant but was easier to get working
> one port at a time (I'm doing eight of them) because I was already
> cutting and pasting various things in those files.

I think this is the sort of thing that should be done once so that it
doesn't get looked over for new ports, and only has to be got right
one.  "make release" is a _wonderful_ concept and has already been
immeasurably helpful, it's just not quite there yet...

> Those patches have not been submitted for the release branch though, as
> they are part of an intricate web of ``make release'' overhaul that I
> did in etc/.

I've got local mods on my 1.4.2 build tree for Makefile and
etc/Makefile, but don't tell anyone :-)

Simon.