Richard Stallman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Eliminating the possibility of specifying them at make time would be a
> bigger change and an incompatible one. I think we agree we should not
> do that, but we should encourage people to specify these arguments
> at configure time instead of make time.
Please note that this is useful to install software:
tar xzf foo-1.2.3.tar.gz
cd foo-1.2.3
./configure --prefix=/installtree
make
make install prefix=/installtree/stow/foo-1.2.3
cd /installtree/stow
stow foo-1.2.3
"GNU Stow is a program for managing the installation of software
packages, keeping them separate (/installtree/stow/emacs vs.
/installtree/stow/perl, for example) while making them appear to be
installed in the same place (/installtree).
The approach used by Stow is to install each package into its own
tree, then use symbolic links to make it appear as though the files
are installed in the common tree. Administration can be performed in
the package's private tree in isolation from clutter from other
packages. Stow can then be used to update the symbolic links. The
structure of each private tree should reflect the desired structure
in the common tree; i.e. (in the typical case) there should be a
`bin' directory containing executables, a `man/man1' directory
containing section 1 man pages, and so on."
