-BIN_DIST_TOPDIR=$(FPTOOLS_TOP_ABS)
-BIN_DIST_DIR=$(BIN_DIST_TOPDIR)/$(BIN_DIST_NAME)
-BIN_DIST_TARBALL=$(BIN_DIST_TOPDIR)/$(BIN_DIST_NAME)-$(TARGETPLATFORM).tar.bz2
-
-#
-# Installation directories, we don't use half of these,
-# but since the configure script has them on offer while
-# passing through, we might as well set them.
-
-prefix = @prefix@
+BIN_DIST_TOPDIR_REL=$(FPTOOLS_TOP)
+BIN_DIST_TOPDIR_ABS=$(FPTOOLS_TOP_ABS)
+BIN_DIST_DIR=$(BIN_DIST_TOPDIR_ABS)/$(BIN_DIST_NAME)
+BIN_DIST_TARBALL=$(BIN_DIST_TOPDIR_REL)/$(BIN_DIST_NAME)-$(TARGETPLATFORM).tar.bz2
+
+# Definition of installation directories, we don't use half of these, but since
+# the configure script has them on offer while passing through, we might as well
+# set them. Note that we have to be careful, because the GNU coding standards
+# have changed a bit over the course of time, and autoconf development reflects
+# this.
+#
+# A little bit of history regarding autoconf and GNU coding standards, use this
+# as a cheat-sheet for the stuff below:
+#
+# variable | default < 2.60 | default >= 2.60
+# ------------+--------------------+--------------------------------------
+# exec_prefix | ${prefix} | ${prefix}
+# libdir | ${exec_prefix}/lib | ${exec_prefix}/lib
+# datarootdir | NONE! | ${prefix}/share
+# datadir | ${prefix}/share | ${datarootdir}
+# infodir | ${prefix}/info | ${datarootdir}/info
+# mandir | ${prefix}/man | ${datarootdir}/man
+# docdir | NONE! | ${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}
+# htmldir | NONE! | ${docdir}
+# dvidir | NONE! | ${docdir}
+# pdfdir | NONE! | ${docdir}
+# psdir | NONE! | ${docdir}
+#
+# NOTE: The default e.g. ${docdir} above means that autoconf substitutes the
+# string "${docdir}", not the value of docdir! This is crucial for the GNU
+# coding standards.
+
+# This gets used in the default docdir when autoconf >= 2.60 is used
+PACKAGE_TARNAME := @PACKAGE_TARNAME@
+
+prefix := @prefix@