6.11 The README File

There is no parallel node in GNU Standards.

Each distribution ought to contain a README file. This is the first file an installer should look at and fully read after unpacking a distribution and prior to configuring it. All other documentation files should be referred to, directly or indirectly, from the README file.

If you have something you think the installer of your package should know, make sure the README of your package states it. Assume this file is being read. Do not try, in particular, to make the configuration process more verbose, or to otherwise make your your installation more complex, because you fear installers will not read README files.

If installers decide to not read the README file and proceed directly with installation, this is their own choice and their own risk, which they shall assume. Do not take the responsibility of their choice on your shoulders, nor feel otherwise guilty about it. Maybe installing GNU packages had just become far too easy :-).

For pretest releases only, you might also decide to distribute a file README-alpha containing special comments for your friendly pretesters. If you decide to follow the version numbering scheme suggested elsewhere in this document (see Releases), you might automate its distribution by using the following code in your configure.in:

     changequote(,)dnl
     case $VERSION in
       [0-9]*.[0-9]*[a-z]) DIST_ALPHA="README-alpha";;
       [0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*) DIST_ALPHA="README-alpha";;
       *) DIST_ALPHA=;;
     esac
     changequote([, ])dnl
     AC_SUBST(DIST_ALPHA)

So whenever the version has three parts, or has two parts suffixed by a single letter, DIST_ALPHA would be substituted with `README-alpha', otherwise left empty. In your top-level Makefile.am, just ensure you have something like:

     EXTRA_DIST = @DIST_ALPHA@