X-Git-Url: https://diplodocus.org/git/nmh/blobdiff_plain/20fe3a947f2305fb271a811d50f8a7d263511ee7..c0f27fe2e6f1e553818f6a43aad0e30cec7994b7:/docs/README.developers?ds=sidebyside

diff --git a/docs/README.developers b/docs/README.developers
index b2c2efa0..522244a1 100644
--- a/docs/README.developers
+++ b/docs/README.developers
@@ -41,12 +41,24 @@ end-users who don't have any interest in changing the configure-related files
 and don't have autoconf installed.  They'll be unable to make without playing
 around with `touch'.
 
-The correct order to commit the configure-related files is:
+The correct procedure to commit the configure-related files is:
 
-% cvs commit acconfig.h aclocal.m4 config.h.in configure.in configure stamp-h.in
+    % cvs commit acconfig.h aclocal.m4 configure.in
+    % autoconf && autoheader                          # or simply "make"
+    % cvs commit config.h.in configure
+    % make stamp-h.in                                 # or simply "make"
+    % cvs commit stamp-h.in
 
-If you haven't changed all of those files, just commit the rest in the
-stated order (e.g. cvs commit acconfig.h config.h.in stamp-h.in).
+The reason that the commits need to be split up is that the timestamps on the
+files change when the commits are done and the RCS Ids change.  If one committed
+all the files in one fell swoop (in the above relative order), timestamps would
+cause unnecessary autoconf regeneration on 'make's after the commit, which would
+waste your time and would cause your local stamp-h.in to be out-of-sync with the
+one checked into CVS (not the end of the world, but...).
+
+If you haven't changed all the files noted above, just commit the ones you have,
+in the stated order (for instance, configure.in, then configure, then
+stamp-h.in).
 
 
 -------------------
@@ -130,6 +142,21 @@ zotnet/tws/
     "time".  Date and time manipulation routines go here.
 
 
+-------------------------------------------------------
+nmh-local functions to use in preference to OS versions
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+For some system functions whose availability or behavior varies from OS to OS,
+nmh conditionally uses a local definition with the same name as the OS function
+(e.g. snprintf()).  For other functions, developers need to avoid the OS
+versions and always use the nmh-supplied function.  Here is a list of such
+functions: 
+
+OS function  nmh-local version to use instead
+===========  ================================
+getpass()    nmh_getpass()
+
+
 -------------
 releasing nmh
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