[bug-gnulib] aux-dir name

[Bruno Haible]

Hello Alexandre,

In your autotools.pdf you use the name 'tools' for the argument of
AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR. Some other packages use the name 'config' (because
this directory contains config.guess, config.sub, config.rpath), some
others use the name 'autoconf'. These names are not good, but 'tools' is
also a misnomer.

  wordnet 'tool' =>
  1. (15) tool -- (an implement used in the practice of a vocation)
  2. (5) instrument, tool -- (the means whereby some act is accomplished;
     "my greed was the instrument of my destruction"; "science has given us
     new tools to fight disease")
  3. creature, tool, puppet -- (a person who is controlled by others and is
     used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else)

What is the common thing about
  ac-help.sed
  compile
  config.guess
  config.libpath
  config.rpath
  config.sub
  depcomp
  elisp-comp
  install-reloc
  install-sh
  ltmain.sh
  mdate-sh
  missing
  mkinstalldirs
  reloc-ldflags
  texinfo.tex
  ylwrap
?

All are auxiliary files used by autoconf/automake generated Makefile and
configure files.

Most are programs, but not all: ac-help.sed, texinfo.tex.

Most are shipped with automake, but not all: config.rpath, install-reloc,
ltmain.sh, reloc-ldflags. For now, gnulib modules have only elements in
lib/ and m4/, but some, like 'gettext' already have elements in the aux-dir:
config.rpath. In general, a file in aux-dir is suitable (compared to
putting everything into an autoconf macro) every time an autoconf macro has
platform dependencies that need to be updated often, like config.guess or
config.rpath.

Some are used during configure time (config.*), others during "make"
(depcomp, elisp-comp, install-sh, texinfo.tex, ylwrap, ...).

What are packages using?
  config     - used by autoconf, bison, gettext, diffutils, coreutils, make,
                       sed, smalltalk, tar
  autoconf   - used by clisp, ffcall, rxvt
  admin      - used by KDE
  support    - used by bash, readline
  scripts    - used by cpio

I would vote for either one of these existing names ('config', 'autoconf',
'admin'), or a reasonably neutral new invention ('aux'), but not 'tools'
or 'utils' or 'scripts'.

Bruno