configure.info: Written Developer Files

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Written Developer Files

   The following files would be written by the developer.
`configure.in'
     This is the configuration script.  This script contains
     invocations of autoconf macros.  It may also contain ordinary
     shell script code.  This file will contain feature tests for
     portability issues.  The last thing in the file will normally be
     an `AC_OUTPUT' macro listing which files to create when the
     builder runs the configure script.  This file is always required
     when using the GNU configure system.  *Note Write configure.in::.
`Makefile.am'
     This is the automake input file.  It describes how the code should
     be built.  It consists of definitions of automake variables.  It
     may also contain ordinary Makefile targets.  This file is only
     needed when using automake (newer tools normally use automake, but
     there are still older tools which have not been converted, in
     which the developer writes `Makefile.in' directly).  *Note Write
     Makefile.am::.
`acconfig.h'
     When the configure script creates a portability header file, by
     using `AM_CONFIG_HEADER' (or, if not using automake,
     `AC_CONFIG_HEADER'), this file is used to describe macros which are
     not recognized by the `autoheader' command.  This is normally a
     fairly uninteresting file, consisting of a collection of `#undef'
     lines with comments.  Normally any call to `AC_DEFINE' in
     `configure.in' will require a line in this file. *Note Write
     acconfig.h::.
`acinclude.m4'
     This file is not always required.  It defines local autoconf
     macros.  These macros may then be used in `configure.in'.  If you
     don't need any local autoconf macros, then you don't need this
     file at all.  In fact, in general, you never need local autoconf
     macros, since you can put everything in `configure.in', but
     sometimes a local macro is convenient.
     Newer tools may omit `acinclude.m4', and instead use a
     subdirectory, typically named `m4', and define `ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS =
     -I m4' in `Makefile.am' to force `aclocal' to look there for macro
     definitions.  The macro definitions are then placed in separate
     files in that directory.
     The `acinclude.m4' file is only used when using automake; in older
     tools, the developer writes `aclocal.m4' directly, if it is needed.