m4: Frozen files

 
 15 Fast loading of frozen state
 *******************************
 
 Some bigger 'm4' applications may be built over a common base containing
 hundreds of definitions and other costly initializations.  Usually, the
 common base is kept in one or more declarative files, which files are
 listed on each 'm4' invocation prior to the user's input file, or else
 each input file uses 'include'.
 
    Reading the common base of a big application, over and over again,
 may be time consuming.  GNU 'm4' offers some machinery to speed up the
 start of an application using lengthy common bases.
 

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