--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 Tue Jan 28 09:48:32 1997  John W. Eaton  <jwe@bevo.che.wisc.edu>
 
+	* Makefile.in (help): New target.
+	(header-msg): extract from all.
+	(all, help): Depend on header-msg.
+
 	* aclocal.m4 (ld_run_path): Fix typo in last fix.
 
 Mon Jan 27 00:10:10 1997  John W. Eaton  <jwe@bevo.che.wisc.edu>

--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -6,40 +6,14 @@
 # University of Wisconsin-Madison
 # Department of Chemical Engineering
 
-# Maybe this message will prevent people from asking why the
-# Makefiles don't work for them.  Maybe not.
-
-all: FORCE
-	@echo ""
-	@echo "**********************************************************"
-	@echo "*                                                        *"
-	@echo "*  To compile Octave, you will need a recent version of  *"
-	@echo "*  GNU Make.                                             *"
-	@echo "*                                                        *"
-	@echo "*  You will also need g++ and libg++.                    *"
-	@echo "*                                                        *"
-	@echo "*  This version of Octave has been developed with        *"
-	@echo "*  version 2.7.2.   You probably won't get very far      *"
-	@echo "*  with earlier versions.  Later versions may work,      *"
-	@echo "*  but C++ is still evolving, so don't be too surprised  *"
-	@echo "*  if you run into some trouble.                         *"
-	@echo "*                                                        *"
-	@echo "*  Now would be a good time to read INSTALL.OCTAVE if    *"
-	@echo "*  you have not done so already.                         *"
-	@echo "*                                                        *"
-	@echo "**********************************************************"
-	@echo ""
-	$(MAKE) -f octMakefile all
-
-# plplot should go in TARGETS if we start distributing it.
-
 TARGETS = octave-bug mkoctfile libcruft liboctave kpathsea info dlfcn \
 	src scripts doc check octave.info INSTALL.OCTAVE BUGS \
 	install uninstall tags TAGS dist conf-dist snapshot snapshot-version
 
 NO_DEP_TARGETS = clean mostlyclean distclean maintainer-clean
 
-ALL_TARGETS = $(TARGETS) $(NO_DEP_TARGETS)
+all: header-msg
+	$(MAKE) -f octMakefile all
 
 $(TARGETS): FORCE
 	$(MAKE) -f octMakefile $@
@@ -61,10 +35,74 @@
 	@echo "***   statically linked version"
 	@echo "***"
 
-static-binary-dist:
+static-binary-dist: FORCE
 	$(MAKE) -f octMakefile DIST_TYPE=static binary-dist
 
-dynamic-binary-dist:
+dynamic-binary-dist: FORCE
 	$(MAKE) -f octMakefile DIST_TYPE=dynamic binary-dist
 
-FORCE:  
+# Maybe this message will prevent people from asking why the
+# Makefiles don't work for them.  Maybe not.
+
+header-msg: FORCE
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "**********************************************************"
+	@echo "*                                                        *"
+	@echo "*  To compile Octave, you will need a recent version of  *"
+	@echo "*  GNU Make.                                             *"
+	@echo "*                                                        *"
+	@echo "*  You will also need g++ and libg++.                    *"
+	@echo "*                                                        *"
+	@echo "*  This version of Octave has been developed with        *"
+	@echo "*  version 2.7.2.   You probably won't get very far      *"
+	@echo "*  with earlier versions.  Later versions may work,      *"
+	@echo "*  but C++ is still evolving, so don't be too surprised  *"
+	@echo "*  if you run into some trouble.                         *"
+	@echo "*                                                        *"
+	@echo "*  Now would be a good time to read INSTALL.OCTAVE if    *"
+	@echo "*  you have not done so already.                         *"
+	@echo "*                                                        *"
+	@echo "**********************************************************"
+	@echo ""
+
+help: header-msg
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "For more information, please read the files INSTALL,"
+	@echo "INSTALL.OCTAVE, and any other system-specific README"
+	@echo "files that apply (e.g., README.Linux)."
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "The following targets are available:"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  all                  build everything"
+	@echo "  check                run self tests"
+	@echo "  install              install files"
+	@echo "  uninstall            delete installed files"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  dist                 create a source distribution"
+	@echo "  conf-dist            create a config files distribution"
+	@echo "  static-binary-dist   create a binary distribution"
+	@echo "  dynamic-binary-dist  create a binary distribution"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  clean                remove files created by make all"
+	@echo "  mostlyclean          remove most files created by make all"
+	@echo "  distclean            remove all files not in distribution"
+	@echo "  maintainer-clean     clean up everything"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  octave-bug           create octave-bug script"
+	@echo "  mkoctfile            create mkoctfile script"
+	@echo "  INSTALL.OCTAVE       create INSTALL.OCTAVE doc file"
+	@echo "  BUGS                 create BUGS doc file"
+	@echo "  tags                 create tags files"
+	@echo "  TAGS                 create TAGS files"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  dlfcn                make all in subdirectory dlfcn"
+	@echo "  doc                  make all in subdirectory doc"
+	@echo "  info                 make all in subdirectory info"
+	@echo "  kpathsea             make all in subdirectory kpathsea"
+	@echo "  libcruft             make all in subdirectory libcruft"
+	@echo "  liboctave            make all in subdirectory liboctave"
+	@echo "  scripts              make all in subdirectory scripts"
+	@echo "  src                  make all in subdirectory src"
+	@echo ""
+
+FORCE: