Unique Naming Scheme

[Calvin Arndt]

Hold the presses.... I see some things that I have issues with. I'll attempt to 
describe them usefully...

In the section of the manual:

> Unique Naming Scheme

> Automake macros (from here on referred to as variables) generally

This doesn't work. First do you realize that the term "macro" or
 "automake macro" has already been used is this document more
than 10 times. It's too late to be giving me info this critical!

The program has been spiting out "invalid variable " at me all over
the place and I'm looking for it well before here! (but all I'm finding
are references to macros) By now I'm frustrated enough that I may
well miss this short spurt.

Second when is a jet, a car, answer never!
Here's the deal, this car "really is" a jetcar (it uses a jet engine for power)
but since thats not the _normal_ thing,  if  it looks just like a "68 MARO"
and doesn't have JETCAR painted on the side of it, it can be confusing to call 
it a jet.

To a newbie its either a variable, or a macro, normal for us is simply
varaiables are variables and macros are macros.

Leave it to the user to open the hood and find this out!

I might also say that the syntax is a bit goofy: (the important thing
to remember here  is the automake's description of itself uses the word
macro not variable)

this looks like a macro

xxxxxx()

and this looks like a variable

xxxxxx = aaa bbb ccc ddd


This whole section has some information, that from what I know
now, will have a huge impact on my ability to use automake successfully.
for instance these comments (concepts) seem to be pivotal to me...

> standard directory names are given in the GNU standards
> (see Directory Variables).

how come I've never seen this before in my previous two years of attempting
to use this program???? But admittedly with out the next paragraph it wouldn't
have meant anything.

> Note that the common dir suffix is left off when constructing the
> variable names; thus one writes bin_PROGRAMS and not
> bindir_PROGRAMS.

This little tidbit is HUGE... why hasn't it been introduced, earlier and alot 
LOUDER.

Now the bad news... Newbie's like me will miss this whole section every time.

The name of this section is one a newbie or even a fairly avid user will often 
ignore.
 I have found that the two section/topics I/most read first are:

"functional" descriptions: 
and
either topic reference or just reference...

remember... at this point automake is spiting an incomplete error message at me

invalid variable

And what does that have to do with the authors section where he pats
himself on the back for his slickness in his or her "Unique whatever"

But all we've talked about to this point is macro's and this sections name
doesn't lead me to believe there's anything in it of any real importance.
Boy, was I wrong.

Respectfully,

Calvin...