Some GNU packages are distributed as tar files which unpack
in a single directory, these are said to be flat distributions.
Other GNU packages have a one level hierarchy of subdirectories, using
for example a subdirectory named `doc/' for the Texinfo manual and
man pages, another called `lib/' for holding functions meant to
replace or complement C libraries, and a subdirectory `src/' for
holding the proper sources for the package. These other distributions
are said to be non-flat.
For now, we cannot say much about flat distributions. A flat
directory structure has the disadvantage of increasing the difficulty
of updating to a new version of GNU gettext. Also, if you have
many PO files, this could somewhat pollute your single directory.
In the GNU gettext distribution, the `misc/' directory
contains a shell script named `combine-sh'. That script may
be used for combining all the C files of the `intl/' directory
into a pair of C files (one `.c' and one `.h'). Those two
generated files would fit more easily in a flat directory structure,
and you will then have to add these two files to your project.
Maybe because GNU gettext itself has a non-flat structure,
we have more experience with this approach, and this is what will be
described in the remaining of this chapter. Some maintainers might
use this as an opportunity to unflatten their package structure.
Only later, once gained more experience adapting GNU gettext
to flat distributions, we might add some notes about how to proceed
in flat situations.
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