X-Git-Url: https://diplodocus.org/git/nmh/blobdiff_plain/d3df81fcf2e52e4e484da1c1df431c7a915a3139..ea7b16ea79c5f06a3b220a0f02fe55ae566b9e82:/docs/README.developers

diff --git a/docs/README.developers b/docs/README.developers
index b243b5d3..522244a1 100644
--- a/docs/README.developers
+++ b/docs/README.developers
@@ -44,17 +44,21 @@ around with `touch'.
 The correct procedure to commit the configure-related files is:
 
     % cvs commit acconfig.h aclocal.m4 configure.in
-    % autoconf && autoheader
+    % autoconf && autoheader                          # or simply "make"
     % cvs commit config.h.in configure
-    % make stamp-h.in
+    % 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 for
-the sequence is the RCS Id strings in the edited files -- they change when
-you commit the changes.
+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...).
 
-You can run just "make" instead of the other commands in between cvs commits.
+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).
 
 
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