Imake is not a replacement for the make program; instead, it is a
makefile-generator that takes advantages of the include-file and macro-
processing capabilities of the C preprocessor cpp to generate makefiles
suitable for building software on a particular system. Although it is not
specific to X, the X release uses it to help solve a number of the
configuration issues that arise in making such a large system widely
portable.

Imake is difficult to understand, in part because the process by which the
system-specific configuration files, system-independent configuration files,
and individual Imakefiles are melded to produce a Makefile is not obvious.

There have been several different versions of imake; the R3, R4, R5 and R6
versions are different.

	You can obtain information on imake from these sources:
	- the release notes and imake man page include information on using
Imake to build X
	- the R6 file xc/config/cf/README contains a list of imake variables
	- the R4 and R5 release notes and imake man page include information on
using Imake to build X
	- the R4 and R5 file mit/config/README also contains useful information
	- on the R4 tapes, contrib/doc/imake/imake.tex is Mark Moraes' R3/R4
guide to imake.
	- the R5 mit/doc/config/usenixws/paper.ms contains a paper by Jim
Fulton on an early version of Imake

	- Paul DuBois (dubois@primate.wisc.edu) has written a useful
explanation of how Imake works and how to use it in configuring X for non-
supported systems; the document is available from
http://www.primate.wisc.edu/software/imake-stuff , or try ftp.primate.wisc.edu
in the directory ~ftp/pub/imake-stuff; look for config-X11R4.ms (troff) and
config-X11R4.ps (PostScript). Some supplemental appendices are nearby.
[7/91: document version is now 1.06] They are also available by gopher to
gopher.primate.wisc.edu under "Primate Center Software Archives".
	- see "System Administration - Imake: Friend or Foe?" by Dinah McNutt
in the November 1991 issue of SunExpert.
	- German readers should look for "Das Meta-Make / I make, you make / 
Schwerelos" by Rainer Klute in the June 1992 "iX 
Multiuser-Multitasking-Magazin", directed at application programmers needing to
write Imakefiles. An English-language derivative of this article is in The
X Journal, issue 2:1.
	- The O'Reilly X Resource issue #2 contains Paul Davey's article on
demystifying Imake.
	- Alain Brossard's working document full of tips on Imake is in 
sunline.epfl.ch:pub/imakefile.1.Z.
	- O'Reilly has published (7/93) "Software Portability with imake" by
Paul DuBois; ISBN 1-56592-055-4. The book's electronic examples and
additional software are on ftp.primate.wisc.edu in pub/imake-book;
imake.tar.Z is a stand-alone imake installation. Also try 
http://www.primate.wisc.edu/software/imake-book .

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