Re: Bug#753620: wishlist: idl/gdl-written software
Hi Sylwester,
Sylwester Arabas <sarabas@igf.fuw.edu.pl> writes:
> perhaps before starting submitting multiple RFPs we can discuss some
> issues here?
thank you very much for your interest, and I also would like to see GDL
packages in Debian. I think that the questions you raised for discussion
are all important and should be solved before actually starting the
packaging.
However, I never used IDL or GDL myself, so I can only do some
unspecific comments.
> - where to place the IDL/GDL-written software in the system
Since they are not machine specific, maybe a good place would be
/usr/share/gdl-packages/ ?
> - how to inform GDL package about their location?
No idea.
> - how to make these packages usable for IDL / PV-WAVE users?
Since IDL is non-free, I would consider this not as a primary goal. I
would concentrate on GDL.
> - how to name these packages?
use gdl- as prefix? However, this sounds ugly for the whole package:
gdl-idlastro.
> - should idlastro be splitted into multiple subpackages?
I would split it, if the different parts are somehow usable
independently. Also, not all packages may be usable under GDL (yet), right?
> - should idlastro become a dependency of gdl?
GDL should be a requirement of the package(s). Again: priority should be
the use with GDL -- and only packages that work with GDL can go into
Debian (main); everything else would have to go into contrib. Sponsors
and also the ftp-masters will take much more efforts for packages in
Debian main than for those in contrib, since software freedom is one of
the main goals of Debian (and also one of the reasons for myself).
Can you give an overview what of idlastro works with GDL and what not?
How complete is GDL compared to IDL?
> - can you guys from the debian-astro team maintain these packages?
There is no real fixed "team"; we are more a community of volunteers. If
you are willing to spend some effort, you can maintain the packages
yourself (and therefore join us :-) ). From the Debian side, we can (and
will) help you with all the debian specific issues, but for the GDL part
maybe you are more qualified?
> - what other IDL/GDL-written software is of interest?
I heared of mpfit, but isn't there an "astrolib" somehow? This also
depends on what actually works with GDL.
Best regards
Ole
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