X-Git-Url: http://git.chise.org/gitweb/?p=chise%2Fxemacs-chise.git.1;a=blobdiff_plain;f=etc%2FBETA;h=26a91fd192493b6b32b7da263007f65aa2138add;hp=cb00c65805b9c11d3372537a3b9cbd05cac200d8;hb=dbf2768f7b146e97e37a27316f70bb313f1acf15;hpb=042cabb13b0419d8aa5cfac9e087d78730d1dbc7 diff --git a/etc/BETA b/etc/BETA index cb00c65..26a91fd 100644 --- a/etc/BETA +++ b/etc/BETA @@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ and go play minesweep for a while on an older XEmacs while the binary is rebuilt. ** Building XEmacs from a full distribution -============================================== +=========================================== Locate a convenient place where you have at least 100MB of free space and issue the command @@ -266,7 +266,97 @@ build report should include: of the developers. -* Patching XEmacs +* Packages +========== + +[Note: these instructions have been partly updated, but not carefully +reviewed in some time. Caveat tester.] + +Starting with XEmacs 21.1, much of the functionality of XEmacs has +been unbundled into "the packages." For more information about the +package system, see the Info nodes on Packages (in the XEmacs User +Manual) and on Packaging (in the Lisp Reference). + +When bootstrapping XEmacs, you may need to manually install some +packages (at least xemacs-base and efs). These packages are available +by FTP at ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/packages/. + +** Binary package installation +============================== + +Prerequisite: XEmacs 21.0-b1. + +Binary packages are complete entities that can be untarred at the top +level of an XEmacs package hierarchy and work at runtime. To install files +in this directory, run the command `M-x package-admin-add-binary-package' +and fill in appropriate values to the prompts. + +** Manual procedures for package management +=========================================== + +Prerequisite: XEmacs 21.0 + +When adding and deleting files from a lisp directory the +auto-autoloads.el (global symbols) and custom-load.el (Customization +groups) must be kept in synch. Assuming one is manipulating a +directory called `lisp-utils', the command to rebuild the +auto-autoloads.el file is: + +xemacs -vanilla -batch -l autoload -f batch-update-directory lisp-utils + +The command to rebuild the custom-load.el file is: + +xemacs -vanilla -batch -l cus-dep -f Custom-make-dependencies lisp-utils + +To bytecompile both of these files the command is: + +xemacs -vanilla -batch -f batch-byte-compile \ + lisp-utils/auto-autoloads.el lisp-utils/custom-load.el + +** Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch +=================================================== + +To build everything completely from scratch (not a high priority as a +design goal), the following procedure should work. (I don't recommend +building this way). + +*** Phase 1 -- Get a minimal XEmacs binary with mule to build the package + lisp with. + +**** Grab a mule-base tarball and install it into a newly created package + directory. + +**** Configure XEmacs with mule and a package-path including the + directory created above. + +**** Do a `make dist' to build an XEmacs binary. + +*** Phase 2 -- Build and install the package lisp. + +**** Modify XEmacs.rules for local paths and the XEmacs binary created in + Phase 1. + +**** Do a make from the top level package lisp source directory.[1] + +**** Do `make bindist's on all the packages you wish to install and + remove the byproduct .tar.gz's. + +*** Phase 3 -- If necessary, redump XEmacs + with the packages that require dump-time support and install it. + +**** Reconfigure without Mule if you don't wish a Mule-ish XEmacs, and + rebuild XEmacs. + +- or - + +**** rm lib-src/DOC src/xemacs; make + +**** Install or run in-place. + +Note that this is in essence what `make all-elc' has always done. + + +* Improving XEmacs ================= ** Creating patches for submission @@ -386,91 +476,93 @@ then post a short COMMIT notice to xemacs-patches when you commit to CVS. Members of the Review Board will also post short notices of administrative action (APPROVE, VETO, QUERY, etc) to xemacs-patches. -* Packages -==================================== - -[Note: these instructions have been partly updated, but not carefully -reviewed in some time. Caveat tester.] - -Starting with XEmacs 21.1, much of the functionality of XEmacs has -been unbundled into "the packages." For more information about the -package system, see the Info nodes on Packages (in the XEmacs User -Manual) and on Packaging (in the Lisp Reference). - -When bootstrapping XEmacs, you may need to manually install some -packages (at least xemacs-base and efs). These packages are available -by FTP at ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/packages/. - -** Binary package installation -================================================ - -Prerequisite: XEmacs 21.0-b1. - -Binary packages are complete entities that can be untarred at the top -level of an XEmacs package hierarchy and work at runtime. To install files -in this directory, run the command `M-x package-admin-add-binary-package' -and fill in appropriate values to the prompts. - -** Manual procedures for package management -=========================================== - -Prerequisite: XEmacs 21.0 - -When adding and deleting files from a lisp directory the -auto-autoloads.el (global symbols) and custom-load.el (Customization -groups) must be kept in synch. Assuming one is manipulating a -directory called `lisp-utils', the command to rebuild the -auto-autoloads.el file is: - -xemacs -vanilla -batch -l autoload -f batch-update-directory lisp-utils - -The command to rebuild the custom-load.el file is: - -xemacs -vanilla -batch -l cus-dep -f Custom-make-dependencies lisp-utils - -To bytecompile both of these files the command is: - -xemacs -vanilla -batch -f batch-byte-compile \ - lisp-utils/auto-autoloads.el lisp-utils/custom-load.el - -** Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch -=================================================== - -To build everything completely from scratch (not a high priority as a -design goal), the following procedure should work. (I don't recommend -building this way). - -*** Phase 1 -- Get a minimal XEmacs binary with mule to build the package - lisp with. - -**** Grab a mule-base tarball and install it into a newly created package - directory. - -**** Configure XEmacs with mule and a package-path including the - directory created above. - -**** Do a `make dist' to build an XEmacs binary. - -*** Phase 2 -- Build and install the package lisp. - -**** Modify XEmacs.rules for local paths and the XEmacs binary created in - Phase 1. - -**** Do a make from the top level package lisp source directory.[1] - -**** Do `make bindist's on all the packages you wish to install and - remove the byproduct .tar.gz's. - -*** Phase 3 -- If necessary, redump XEmacs - with the packages that require dump-time support and install it. - -**** Reconfigure without Mule if you don't wish a Mule-ish XEmacs, and - rebuild XEmacs. - -- or - - -**** rm lib-src/DOC src/xemacs; make - -**** Install or run in-place. - -Note that this is in essence what `make all-elc' has always done. +** Large contributions +====================== + +Perhaps you have a whole new mode, or a major synchronization with +upstream for a neglected package, or a synchronization with GNU Emacs +you would like to contribute. We welcome such contributions, but they +are likely to be relatively controversial, generate more comments and +requests for revision, and take longer to integrate. Please be +patient with the process. + +*** Updates to existing packages +-------------------------------- + +If a package has gotten a bit out of date, or even started to bitrot, +we welcome patches to synchronize it with upstream/GNU Emacs versions. +Most packages end up varying somewhat from their GNU origins. See +"Syncing with GNU Emacs" for hints. Note that if you do a reasonably +large amount of syncing with GNU Emacs, you should log this in the +file itself as well as in the ChangeLog. + +If the package is important to you, please consider becoming the +maintainer. (See "New packages", below.) + +*** New packages +---------------- + +If you have a new mode or other large addition that does not require +changes to the core, please consider submitting it as a package, and +becoming the maintainer. You get direct commit privileges to the +repository for your package, "approval" privileges for your own +patches as well as third party patches to your package, and some +degree of veto power over patches you don't like. In return, you are +expected to maintain friendly liaison with the upstream developer (if +you aren't the upstream developer), keep watch on the XEmacs Patches +list for relevant patches, and be available by email to other +developers for discussion of changes that impact your package. It's +also a pretty standard route to the "core" development group, where we +have plenty of extra work waiting for volunteers. + +You don't have to become the maintainer, but it virtually ensures +rapid acceptance of the package. + +For help in creating new packages, see the (rather sparse) discussions +in the XEmacs User's Guide and the Lisp Reference Manual. The XEmacs +Package Release Engineer (Ville Skyttä is +currently serving with Peter Brown +assisting; Steve Youngs and Stephen Turnbull + also can help) is the most likely source of advice. + +*** Syncing with GNU Emacs +-------------------------- + +Syncing with GNU Emacs is an important activity. Although each +version has its advantages and areas of concentration, it is very +desirable that common functionality share specifications and APIs. +When porting GNU code to XEmacs, the following points should be given +special attention: + + o Recent GNU Emacsen cannot be built without Mule, but XEmacs can. + Make sure your changes do not assume the presence of Mule. + + o GNU Emacs nomenclature often differs from that of XEmacs. + Sometimes syncing the names is desirable, other times not. + + o GNU Emacs functionality often differs from that of XEmacs. + Syncing functionality is often controversial. + +It is important that you let other developers know that +synchronization has taken place, to what degree, and when. For this +purpose, we use comments of the form + +/* Synched up with: FSF 21.3 by Stephen Turnbull */ + +in the source file itself, as the last element of the prefatory +material (copyright notice and commentary). Obviously the comment +marker needs to be changed to leading semicolons for Lisp, but +otherwise the format is the same. + +Of course you should note syncing as the purpose in the ChangeLog, +too. But entries get buried deep in the ChangeLog file, and may even +get moved to a separate ChangeLog.OLD file for rarely synched files. + +Rather than dates we use the version of GNU Emacs to sync to. If the +synchronization is partial, add a new comment describing what has +actually been synched, leaving the description of the last full sync +in place. At each full sync, remove all previous synchronization +comments. + +This applies to Lisp that we have broken out into packages, but +remains in the GNU Emacs core, as well to core Lisp in XEmacs.