new program distribution

[viza]

(if you know a better group for this please redirect me)

Hi!

I am working on a program that I plan to release under the GPL, and need
some advice as to how to go about packaging it. I have the c source and a
very basic Makefile.

What files should be included? More specifically is there somewhere I can
find a list of the standard files, README, COPYING, INSTALL, BUGS etc.

I have found the following (GNU Coding Standards: Managing Releases)
[url]http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards_48.html[/url] , but it doesn't go into enough
detail for a beginner. Any more general advice or links are also
appreciated.

TIA
Tom Viza

[Siddharth Choudhuri]

> (if you know a better group for this please redirect me)
comp.os.linux.development.system

[Sam Zoghaib]

Siddharth Choudhuri wrote in article
<Pine.GSO.4.44.0307131435410.6108-100000@unix.cs.tamu.edu> on Sunday 13 July
2003 21:36 in comp.unix.programmer:

>> (if you know a better group for this please redirect me)

> comp.os.linux.development.system

Why? Linux is only a kernel. You can license a program under the GPL without
consideration for the kernel your environment runs, and even without
consideration for the environment at all. You can make your program for
Solaris, BSD, GNU/Hurd...

Maybe gnu.misc.discuss can be appropriate. But anyway if it's not considered
appropriate in a Unix programming newsgroup, it should not be in any specific
unix-implementation newsgroup.

Sam
--
"Fear is the path to the dark side.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to suffering.
I sense much fear in you."

[Sam Zoghaib]

viza wrote in article <YgfQa.1122$D25.72011@newsfep1-win.server.ntli.net> on
Sunday 13 July 2003 17:58 in comp.unix.programmer:

> What files should be included? More specifically is there somewhere I can
> find a list of the standard files, README, COPYING, INSTALL, BUGS etc.
>

Well, it should certainly include at least README, INSTALL, COPYING, a
ChangeLog for people who will hack your program, and NEWS for users.
It should also include a manpage.
If you want your program to be part of the GNU project (you were referring to
the GNU standards) you should also have your documentation in texinfo format.

Sam
--
"The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle wall, the Ringwraiths ride in black, ride on!
Sing as you raise your bow, shoot straighter than before."

- Led Zeppelin, "The Battle of Evermore"

[llewelly]

Siddharth Choudhuri <choudhri@cs.tamu.edu> writes:

>> (if you know a better group for this please redirect me)

> comp.os.linux.development.system

Why do you think a linux-specific group is better? The OP did not
mention linux in his post.

[Andy Isaacson]

In article <YgfQa.1122$D25.72011@newsfep1-win.server.ntli.net>,
viza <none@example.invalid> wrote:

>(if you know a better group for this please redirect me)

I think c.u.p is a perfectly reasonable group for this question.

>I am working on a program that I plan to release under the GPL, and need
>some advice as to how to go about packaging it. I have the c source and a
>very basic Makefile.
>
>What files should be included? More specifically is there somewhere I can
>find a list of the standard files, README, COPYING, INSTALL, BUGS etc.
>
>I have found the following (GNU Coding Standards: Managing Releases)
>[url]http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards_48.html[/url] , but it doesn't go into enough
>detail for a beginner. Any more general advice or links are also
>appreciated.

When I went through this process, I started with a simple tarball and
kept adding things as I noticed they were necessary.
- distribute a file "foo-1.0.tar.gz"
- it should unpack to a directory "foo-1.0"
- in that directory should be a README, COPYING, ...
- either
* use GNU autoconf to create a "configure" script, or
* have a Makefile with a default target of "build the program"
and an optional target "install", so I can "make && make install"
- your source can go directly in "foo-1.0" or in a subdirectory
- provide a manpage "foo.1", optionally additional documentation in
plaintext/texinfo/HTML/pdf/ps format (whatever you prefer)

If I can "tar xzvf foo-1.0.tar.gz; cd foo-1.0; ./configure && make" then I
am more likely to use your program.

Of course the README should have useful information in it. COPYING is
just a copy of the GPL (which you said you plan to use). INSTALL and
BUGS are nice, if they have useful information in them. Too many
software distributions have an "INSTALL" file that's just a copy of some
boilerplate from the GNU autoconf people or something like that; that is
worse than useless.

HTH
-andy