Re: Packaging WM themes - question
(Disclaimer: I'n not a Debian devoloper nor did I read the ancient flame
wars.)
Michael Neuffer wrote:
> > rob@host:~/$ apt-cache search . | wc -l
> > 7230
> >
> > what's another 40 packages?
>
> Argh !
>
> <FLAME MODE>
> Exactly this brain damaged behaviour is why we have
> so many (useless mini)packages !
>
> There are more then enough machines around that already have
> problems with the package management. Machines that must run
> with 16 or maybe 8 MB of memory (or even less) with an 386sx/16
> CPU or similar.
This is a bogus arguement. I installed Debian potato on a 386DX/33 with
8 MB just two month ago. First I did just like that and after two hours
or so of waiting I had a shiny new potato system. Only to realize that
I had fsck'd up and had to install again. Well, this time I put the
harddisk into an Pentium 133, did the install and kernel compile in a
breeze and put the harddisk back into the 386. Once Debian is
installed, you can add or delete new packages without much trouble.
Sure it'll take longer than with my main workstation, but then again:
everything takes longer on a 386.
> Not everbody can like you afford the latest and greatest
> machines with GHz CPUs, hundereds of MBs of memory and huge
> harddisks.
Don't tell me, that you absolutely have to install Debian on a 386. No
one has to do that, you can always use a bigger machine for the initial
setup. Hell, back in the "old days" people were suggesting to compile
the kernels on another machine, so you wouldn't have to wait all day
long.
> We have now more then 500 Debian developers and if everbody
> would follow your exceedingly stupid example, we would very
> quickly have on the border to 30.000 packages !
>
> Who on earth would want to dig through such masses of packages ?
>
> NOBODY.
>
> It would make Debian instantly unusable.
You have yet to prove that. And personally I like the fact that there
are lot's of packages in Debian. And navigating through them with
`apt-cache search` is no problem, if they use reasonable names (like
kde-theme-*).
> Ben: It might make sense to split it into 2 or 3 packages but
> certainly not more.
Which I oppose. I'm in Germany and I'm paying for my internet
connection by the minute. Now imagine, I download that whoop-ass
package, but only use one theme. All the other themes just occupy space
on my harddisk, which is annoying, but I can live with that. I'm
following unstable or testing though, and one particular theme (of those
that I don't use), get's changed very often. Meaning, that whenever I
do `apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade`, I'll download the whoop-ass
package _again_ only to find out, that my theme hasn't changed a bit.
WTF?! This is why Debian packages are splitted into all kind of bits
and pieces, at least in my opinion. So the end-user can have _exactly_
the software installed that he wants/needs and no other crap, which
might even interfere with his installation. Of course, I can put the
package on hold, but then I'd miss a potential update to my theme. Ugly
hack und inefficient.
> People don't get me wrong. I am _NOT_ opposed to new packages
> per se. They just should bring something new into Debian.
Each and every theme is something new. What's your point?
>
> What I oppose is stupid splits of packages and things like the
> 50th ICQ client.
Hmm, I was under impression, that the Linux people (including myself)
constantly bitch about given the choice to the users.
Cheers,
Viktor
--
Viktor Rosenfeld
WWW: http://www.informatik.hu-berlin.de/~rosenfel/
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