diff --git a/source-distribution.make b/source-distribution.make
index d2af49d9..f3ee65e9 100644
--- a/source-distribution.make
+++ b/source-distribution.make
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 #
 #   source-distribution.make
 #
-#   Makefile rules to build snapshots, source tgz etc
+#   Makefile rules to build snapshots from cvs, source .tar.gz etc
 #
-#   Copyright (C) 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+#   Copyright (C) 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 #
 #   Author: Adam Fedor <fedor@gnu.org>
 #   Author: Nicola Pero <n.pero@mi.flashnet.it>
@@ -21,52 +21,137 @@
 #   59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
 
 #
-# Interesting variables to define:
+# Interesting variables to define in your GNUmakefile:
 #
 # PACKAGE_NAME = gnustep-base
 # VERSION = 1.0.0
 #
+# For CVS exports, you may want to define something like:
+#
+# CVS_MODULE_NAME = base
+# CVS_FLAGS = -d :pserver:anoncvs@subversions.gnu.org:/cvsroot/gnustep
+#
+# You can also pass/override them on the command line if you want,
+# make cvs-snapshot CVS_FLAGS="-d :pserver:anoncvs@subversions.gnu.org:/cvsroot/gnustep -z9"
+#
+# If you set the RELEASE_DIR variable, all generated .tar.gz files will 
+# be automatically moved to that directory after having being created.
+# RELEASE_DIR is either an absolute path, or a relative path to the 
+# current directory.
+#
 
 # prevent multiple inclusions
 ifeq ($(TGZ_MAKE_LOADED),)
 TGZ_MAKE_LOADED=yes
 
-# Striped package name, probably only useful for GNUstep libraries
-PDIR_NAME = $(subst gnustep-,,$(PACKAGE_NAME))
+ifeq ($(CVS_MODULE_NAME),)
+  CVS_MODULE_NAME = $(PACKAGE_NAME)
+endif
+
+ifeq ($(CVS_FLAGS),)
+  CVS_FLAGS = -z3
+endif
+
+VERSION_NAME = $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
+
 VERTAG = `echo $(VERSION) | tr '.' '_'`
 
-.PHONY: tgz cvs-tag cvs-dist cvs-snapshot
+.PHONY: tgz cvs-tag cvs-dist cvs-snapshot internal-cvs-export
 
 #
 # Build a .tgz with the whole directory tree
 #
 tgz: distclean
-	@echo "Generating $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION).tar.gz";                 \
-	echo "in the parent directory...";                                    \
-	SNAPSHOT_DIR=`basename $$(pwd)`;                                      \
-	cd ..;                                                                \
-	if [ "$$SNAPSHOT_DIR" != "$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)" ]; then         \
-	  mv $$SNAPSHOT_DIR $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION);                       \
-        fi;                                                                   \
-	tar cfz $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION).tar.gz $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION); \
-	if [ "$$SNAPSHOT_DIR" != "$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)" ]; then         \
-	  mv $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION) $$SNAPSHOT_DIR;                       \
-        fi;
+	@echo "Generating $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz in the parent directory..."; \
+	SNAPSHOT_DIR=`basename $$(pwd)`; \
+	cd ..;                           \
+	if [ "$$SNAPSHOT_DIR" != "$(VERSION_NAME)" ]; then \
+	  if [ -d "$(VERSION_NAME)" ]; then \
+	    echo "$(VERSION_NAME) already exists in parent directory (?):"; \
+	    echo "Saving old version in $(VERSION_NAME)~"; \
+	    mv $(VERSION_NAME) $(VERSION_NAME)~; \
+	  fi; \
+	  mv $$SNAPSHOT_DIR $(VERSION_NAME);\
+        fi; \
+	if [ -f ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz ]; then             \
+	  echo "${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz already exists:";    \
+	  echo "Saving old version in ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~"; \
+	  mv ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~;    \
+	fi; \
+	tar cfz $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz $(VERSION_NAME);    \
+	if [ "$$SNAPSHOT_DIR" != "$(VERSION_NAME)" ]; then \
+	  mv $(VERSION_NAME) $$SNAPSHOT_DIR;               \
+        fi; \
+	if [ ! -f $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz ]; then \
+	  echo "*Error* creating .tar.gz"; \
+	  exit 1; \
+	fi;
+ifneq ($(RELEASE_DIR),)
+	@echo "Moving $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz to $(RELEASE_DIR)..."; \
+	if [ ! -d $(RELEASE_DIR) ]; then \
+	  $(MKDIRS) $(RELEASE_DIR); \
+	fi; \
+	if [ -f $(RELEASE_DIR)/$(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz ]; then \
+	  echo "$(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz already exists:";    \
+	  echo "Saving old version in $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~";\
+	  mv $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz \
+	     $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~;\
+	fi; \
+	mv ../$(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz $(RELEASE_DIR)
+endif
 
+#
+# Tag the CVS source with the $(CVS_MODULE_NAME)-$(VERTAG) tag
+#
 cvs-tag:
-	cvs -z3 rtag $(PDIR_NAME)-$(VERTAG) $(PDIR_NAME)
+	cvs $(CVS_FLAGS) rtag $(CVS_MODULE_NAME)-$(VERTAG) $(CVS_MODULE_NAME)
 
-cvs-dist:
-	cvs -z3 export -r $(PDIR_NAME)-$(VERTAG) $(PDIR_NAME)
-	mv $(PDIR_NAME) $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
-	tar --gzip -cf $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION).tar.gz $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
-	rm -rf $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
+#
+# Build a .tar.gz from the CVS sources using revision/tag 
+# $(CVS_MODULE_NAME)-$(VERTAG)
+#
+cvs-dist: EXPORT_CVS_FLAGS = -r $(CVS_MODULE_NAME)-$(VERTAG) 
+cvs-dist: internal-cvs-export
 
-cvs-snapshot:
-	cvs -z3 export -D now $(PDIR_NAME)
-	mv $(PDIR_NAME) $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
-	tar --gzip -cf $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION).tar.gz $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
-	rm -rf $(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(VERSION)
+#
+# Build a .tar.gz from the CVS source as they are now
+#
+cvs-snapshot: EXPORT_CVS_FLAGS = -D now
+cvs-snapshot: internal-cvs-export
+
+internal-cvs-export:
+	@echo "Exporting from module $(CVS_MODULE_NAME) on CVS..."; \
+	if [ -e $(CVS_MODULE_NAME) ]; then \
+	  echo "*Error* cannot export: $(CVS_MODULE_NAME) already exists"; \
+	  exit 1; \
+	fi; \
+	cvs $(CVS_FLAGS) export $(EXPORT_CVS_FLAGS) $(CVS_MODULE_NAME); \
+	echo "Generating $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz"; \
+	mv $(CVS_MODULE_NAME) $(VERSION_NAME); \
+	if [ -f ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz ]; then            \
+	  echo "${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz already exists:";   \
+	  echo "Saving old version in ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~"; \
+	  mv ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz ${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~;    \
+	fi; \
+	tar cfz $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz $(VERSION_NAME); \
+	rm -rf $(VERSION_NAME);                  \
+	if [ ! -f $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz ]; then \
+	  echo "*Error* creating .tar.gz"; \
+	  exit 1; \
+	fi;
+ifneq ($(RELEASE_DIR),)
+	@echo "Moving $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz to $(RELEASE_DIR)..."; \
+	if [ ! -d $(RELEASE_DIR) ]; then \
+	  $(MKDIRS) $(RELEASE_DIR); \
+	fi; \
+	if [ -f $(RELEASE_DIR)/$(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz ]; then \
+	  echo "$(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz already exists:";    \
+	  echo "Saving old version in $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~";\
+	  mv $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz \
+	     $(RELEASE_DIR)/${VERSION_NAME}.tar.gz~;\
+	fi; \
+	mv $(VERSION_NAME).tar.gz $(RELEASE_DIR)
+endif
 
 endif
 # source-distribution.make loaded