(1) eliminate GPL and refs thereto, as authorized by RMS

(2) enable MIPS-specific docn (cf PR 4434)

gas/doc/as.texinfo

@@ -72,18 +72,13 @@ notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
 
 @end ignore
-Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual
-manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
+under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting
-section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' is included exactly as
+derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to
-in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is
+this one.
-distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this
-one.
 
 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
-into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
+into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
-except that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' may be
-included in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation
-instead of in the original English.
 @end ifinfo
 
 @titlepage
@@ -125,18 +120,13 @@ Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
 are preserved on all copies.
 
-Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual
-manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
+under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting
-section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' is included exactly as
+derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to
-in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is
+this one.
-distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this
-one.
 
 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
-into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
+into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
-except that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' may be
-included in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation
-instead of in the original English.
 @end titlepage
 
 @ifinfo
@@ -157,12 +147,7 @@ code for @value{TARGET} architectures.
 * Expressions::                 Expressions
 * Pseudo Ops::                  Assembler Directives
 * Machine Dependencies::        Machine Dependent Features
-@ifset GENERIC
-* Copying::                     GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
-@end ifset
-
 * Acknowledgements::            Who Did What
-
 * Index::                       Index
 @end menu
 @end ifinfo
@@ -199,23 +184,23 @@ Here is a brief summary of how to invoke @code{@value{AS}}.  For details,
 @c HPPA has no machine-dependent assembler options (yet).
 @end ifset
 @ifset SPARC
-   [ -Av6 | -Av7 | -Av8 | -Asparclite | -bump ]
+ [ -Av6 | -Av7 | -Av8 | -Asparclite | -bump ]
 @end ifset
 @ifset Z8000
 @c Z8000 has no machine-dependent assembler options
 @end ifset
 @ifset I960
 @c see md_parse_option in tc-i960.c
-   [ -ACA | -ACA_A | -ACB | -ACC | -AKA | -AKB | -AKC | -AMC ]
+ [ -ACA | -ACA_A | -ACB | -ACC | -AKA | -AKB | -AKC | -AMC ]
-   [ -b ] [ -norelax ]
+ [ -b ] [ -norelax ]
 @end ifset
 @ifset M680X0
-   [ -l ] [ -m68000 | -m68010 | -m68020 | ... ]
+ [ -l ] [ -m68000 | -m68010 | -m68020 | ... ]
 @end ifset
 @ifset MIPS
-   [ -nocpp ] [ -EL ] [ -EB ] [ -G @var{num} ]
+ [ -nocpp ] [ -EL ] [ -EB ] [ -G @var{num} ]
 @end ifset
-   [ -- | @var{files} @dots{} ]
+ [ -- | @var{files} @dots{} ]
 @end smallexample
 
 @table @code
@@ -720,11 +705,11 @@ gcc -c -g -O -Wa,-alh,-L file.c
 emits a listing to standard output with high-level
 and assembly source.
 
-Many compiler command-line options, such as @samp{-R} and many machine-specific
+Usually you do not need to use this @samp{-Wa} mechanism, since many compiler
-options, are automatically passed to the assembler by the compiler, so usually
+command-line options are automatically passed to the assembler by the compiler.
-you do not need to use this @samp{-Wa} mechanism.  (You can call the GNU
+(You can call the GNU compiler driver with the @samp{-v} option to see
-compiler driver with the @samp{-v} option to see precisely what options it
+precisely what options it passes to each compilation pass, including the
-passes to each compilation pass, including the assembler.)
+assembler.)
 
 @menu
 * a::             -a[dhlns] enable listings
@@ -930,7 +915,7 @@ this option is only useful if you use sections named @samp{.text} and
 @end ifset
 
 @node statistics
-@section Display Statistics about Assembly: @code{--statistics}
+@section Display Assembly Statistics: @code{--statistics}
 
 @kindex --statistics
 @cindex statistics, about assembly
@@ -2073,9 +2058,10 @@ different locations: the first definition overrides any other
 definitions.
 
 @ifset HPPA
-On the HPPA, a label need not be immediately followed by a colon,
+On the HPPA, the usual form for a label need not be immediately followed by a
-but instead must start in column zero.  Only one label may be
+colon, but instead must start in column zero.  Only one label may be defined on
-defined on a single line.
+a single line.  To work around this, the HPPA version of @code{@value{AS}} also
+provides a special directive @code{.label} for defining labels more flexibly.
 @end ifset
 
 @node Setting Symbols
@@ -3596,6 +3582,7 @@ All five fields are specified.
 Copy the characters in @var{str} to the object file.  You may specify more than
 one string to copy, separated by commas.  Unless otherwise specified for a
 particular machine, the assembler marks the end of each string with a 0 byte.
+You can use any of the escape sequences described in @ref{Strings,,Strings}.
 
 @ifset COFF
 @node Tag
@@ -3797,6 +3784,9 @@ subject, see the hardware manufacturer's manual.
 @ifset Z8000
 * Z8000-Dependent::             Z8000 Dependent Features
 @end ifset
+@ifset MIPS
+* MIPS-Dependent::              MIPS Dependent Features
+@end ifset
 @ifset I80386
 * i386-Dependent::              80386 Dependent Features
 @end ifset
@@ -5156,9 +5146,8 @@ to refer to a character in hexadecimal.
 @c FIXME! Is that all?  HP manual mentions more, which I don't see in
 @c        pa_stringer. 
 
-@emph{Warning!} The HPPA version of @code{.string} differs in two ways from the
+@emph{Warning!} The HPPA version of @code{.string} differs from the
-usual @code{@value{AS}} definition.  First, it performs @samp{\} escape
+usual @code{@value{AS}} definition: it does @emph{not} write a zero byte
-preprocessing, as described above; second, it does @emph{not} write a zero byte
 after copying @var{str}.
 
 @item .stringz "@var{str}"
@@ -7214,12 +7203,6 @@ you have contributed significant work and are not mentioned on this list, and
 want to be, let us know.  Some of the history has been lost; we are not
 intentionally leaving anyone out.
 
-@ifset GENERIC
-@node Copying
-@unnumbered
-@include gpl.texinfo
-@end ifset
-
 @node Index
 @unnumbered Index