21. The effect of --gnu and --gnits

The `--gnu' option (or `gnu' in the `AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS' variable) causes automake to check the following:

• The files `INSTALL', `NEWS', `README', `AUTHORS', and `ChangeLog', plus one of `COPYING.LIB', `COPYING.LESSER' or `COPYING', are required at the topmost directory of the package.

• The options `no-installman' and `no-installinfo' are prohibited.

Note that this option will be extended in the future to do even more checking; it is advisable to be familiar with the precise requirements of the GNU standards. Also, `--gnu' can require certain non-standard GNU programs to exist for use by various maintainer-only targets; for instance in the future pathchk might be required for `make dist'.

The `--gnits' option does everything that `--gnu' does, and checks the following as well:

• `make installcheck' will check to make sure that the --help and --version really print a usage message and a version string, respectively. This is the std-options option (see section 17. Changing Automake's Behavior).

• `make dist' will check to make sure the `NEWS' file has been updated to the current version.

• `VERSION' is checked to make sure its format complies with Gnits standards.

• If `VERSION' indicates that this is an alpha release, and the file `README-alpha' appears in the topmost directory of a package, then it is included in the distribution. This is done in `--gnits' mode, and no other, because this mode is the only one where version number formats are constrained, and hence the only mode where Automake can automatically determine whether `README-alpha' should be included.

• The file `THANKS' is required.