configure: print proper message for test releases

* configure.ac: If the current release is detected to be a test
release or a development snapshot, print a proper warning for
the user.
* README-alpha: Delete, it's obsolete now (and in fact this file
hasn't been touched in eleven years, since release 1.4b or so).
* HACKING (Release procedure): Don't say to update README-alpha.

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 44c4444..30cd146 100644 (file)
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 2011-12-22  Stefano Lattarini  <stefano.lattarini@gmail.com>
 
+       configure: print proper message for test releases
+       * configure.ac: If the current release is detected to be a test
+       release or a development snapshot, print a proper warning for
+       the user.
+       * README-alpha: Delete, it's obsolete now (and in fact this file
+       hasn't been touched in eleven years, since release 1.4b or so).
+       * HACKING (Release procedure): Don't say to update README-alpha.
+
+2011-12-22  Stefano Lattarini  <stefano.lattarini@gmail.com>
+
        devel: help in comparing Makefile.in from different commits
        Now that the generated Makefile.in, configure and aclocal.m4 files
        are no longer committed in Automake's git repository, a simple

diff --git a/HACKING b/HACKING
index 8c437ed..7043eb1 100644 (file)
--- a/HACKING
+++ b/HACKING
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@
   Commit.  Unfortunately you need an FSF account to do this.
   (You can also use `make fetch', but that is still woefully incomplete.)
 
-* Update NEWS.  For an alpha release, update README-alpha.
+* Update NEWS.
 
 * Update the version number in configure.ac.
   (The idea is that every other alpha number will be a net release.

diff --git a/README-alpha b/README-alpha
deleted file mode 100644 (file)
index 820bf73..0000000
--- a/README-alpha
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-This is a test release of this package.  Using it more or less
-implicitly signs you up to help me find whatever problems you report.
-
-Please send comments and problem reports about this test release to
-automake@gnu.org.  This program will get better only if you report the
-problems you encounter.

diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4c0cc23..e73c16b 100644 (file)
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 # Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
 # Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
-# 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+# 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Free Software Foundation,
+# Inc.
 #
 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -218,3 +219,28 @@ AC_CONFIG_FILES([tests/automake-${APIVERSION}:tests/automake.in],
                 [chmod +x tests/automake-${APIVERSION}])
 
 AC_OUTPUT
+
+# Inform the user if this version of automake is a beta release or
+# a development snapshot.
+# According to HACKING, the version of a development snapshot should
+# end with an "odd" letter (a, c, ...), the version of a test release
+# should end wit an "even" letter (b, d, ...).
+
+am_stable_version_rx='[[1-9]\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?]'
+am_beta_version_rx="[$am_stable_version_rx[bdfhjlnprtvxz]]"
+
+am_release_type=`AS_ECHO(["$PACKAGE_VERSION"]) | LC_ALL=C awk ["
+  /^$am_stable_version_rx$/ { print \"stable\"; exit(0); }
+  /^$am_beta_version_rx$/ { print \"beta version\"; exit(0); }
+  { print \"development snapshot\"; }"]`
+
+test "$am_release_type" = stable || cat <<EOF
+
+WARNING: You are about to use a $am_release_type of automake.
+WARNING: It might easily suffer from new bugs or regressions.
+WARNING: You are strongly advised not to use it in production code.
+
+Please report bugs, problems and feedback to <bug-automake@gnu.org>.
+EOF
+
+AS_EXIT([0])