🚀 go-pugleaf

   I have multiple versions of the configure shell script, because
   most of the GNU software now includes it. Consequently, I am having
   difficulty determining which one is the "correct" or "current"
   version. Can you please tell me how I can find this out?

There are two families of GNU configurators.  The bigger one is used
for GNU C/C++, GDB, C library, etc. and, so far that I know, is not
yet completely packaged as a stand-alone product.  The smaller one is
getting used for almost everything else, get it from prep.ai.mit.edu
in pub/gnu as autoconf-1.0.tar.Z.  There is an on-going effort to
merge the two configurators, I cannot predict if and when this effort
will succeed.

   1) I want to use one configuration script for configuring all
   software packages.

Unless you have inordinately complex needs, Autoconf should suffice.

   2) There seems to be discrepencies between documentation (as noted
   above)

The Autoconf manual, distributed with the product, seems to be
exhaustive and accurate.

   3) I have added some new targets to config.sub that would be of
   more widespread interest.

Autoconf approach is not to have a fixed set of definitions for a
finite number of targets, but rather to dynamically figure out how to
adapt to any given target by checking how this target would behave.
If it happens that Autoconf does not take the correct decision, you
might contribute improving its behaviour by discussing the matters on
bug-gnu-utils@prep.ai.mit.edu.

   I am building GNU software for native use on a SPARCstation 2, and
   also as cross-development tools for the Motorola 68K architecture.
   I would like to have the native configuration separate from the
   cross configuration, so that files don't get overwritten each time
   I run configure

Autoconf is geared towards multiple installations in different
subdirectories and cross configurations; the former certainly works
nicely, I have no experience with the later; but who knows, Autoconf
might be your best bet.  Your true configuration sources are short
configure.in files, which autoconf expands, using GNU m4, into
configure scripts which you then include in your distributions.

-- 
Franc,ois Pinard        ``Vivement GNU!''        pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
(514) 588-4656                                    ...!uunet!iros1!pinard
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