1 This is the 'contrib' directory of the GNU Automake distribution.
3 Here you'll find additions to the Automake base distribution, in the form of
4 makefile fragments, m4 macros, scripts, documentation, et cetera: additions
5 that might be handy to many users, but (for one reason or another) are not
6 deemed appropriate for inclusion into the Automake core.
8 There are several reasons that a feature might be kept in contrib:
10 1. The long-term usefulness of the feature is debatable and uncertain;
11 real-world testing is necessary to prove or disprove its usefulness,
12 before the feature can be committed into the Automake core (as doing so
13 too early would later force us to continue support for
14 backward-compatibility, even if the feature proved flawed or fails to
15 attract widespread use).
17 2. The APIs or overall design of the feature are still unstable, and need
18 testing to iron out warts and usability bugs, or uncover potential flaws.
20 3. The feature was an historical one, mostly obsolete but still used in the
21 wild. We want to deprecate it and remove it from the Automake core, but
22 cannot remove it altogether, for the sake of the existing usage, so it
23 gets moved to contrib.