Subdirectories: automake wants GNU mandatory files in every directory

[Stephane Bortzmeyer]

I use automake for a project with subdirectories (here a test with a
dummy program). When I change a Makefile.am in a subdirectory, 'make'
cannot rebuild the files because it runs automake with the --gnu
option, which is fine for the topmost directory, but not for
subdirectories which do not have INSTALL, README, etc.

automake returns an error status (so make stops) but Makefile.in is
created so the next time, things are fine.

Tested with automake 1.8.3 on netBSD and automake 1.8.5 on Debian.

kiwi:Programmation/C/automake-plugins % make                            
make  all-recursive
Making all in plugins
Making all in example
Making all in foobar
 cd . && /bin/sh /home/bortzmeyer/Programmation/C/automake-plugins/missing 
--run automake-1.8 --gnu  Makefile
Makefile.am: required file `./INSTALL' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./NEWS' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./README' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./AUTHORS' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./ChangeLog' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./COPYING' not found
*** Error code 1

Stop.
make: stopped in 
/home/bortzmeyer/Programmation/C/automake-plugins/plugins/foobar
*** Error code 1

Stop.
make: stopped in /home/bortzmeyer/Programmation/C/automake-plugins/plugins
*** Error code 1

Stop.
make: stopped in /home/bortzmeyer/Programmation/C/automake-plugins
*** Error code 1

Stop.
make: stopped in /home/bortzmeyer/Programmation/C/automake-plugins


kiwi:Programmation/C/automake-plugins % make
make  all-recursive
Making all in plugins
Making all in example
Making all in foobar
 cd . && /bin/sh ./config.status Makefile depfiles
config.status: creating Makefile
config.status: executing depfiles commands