Bug#614907: nodejs/node command conflict: unambiguous names for each command

[Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>]

# proposed patch only solves part of the problem
tags 614907 - patch
quit

Jonathan Nieder wrote:

> I'd be happy to talk about work so far, transition plans,
> complications and possible ways forward in a separate message.

I personally am not too worried about the people who will suffer
because their scripts run LinuxNode instead of Node.js or Node.js
instead of LinuxNode (let them complain to upstream), except that it
is not so nice if Debian noticed the problem and didn't give these
users a way out.  Couldn't we provide some new commands to let people
refer unambiguously to one meaning of "node" or the other?

nodejs ("nodejs" as synonym):
http://bugs.debian.org/650343

	When Fedora ran into the same problem[1] (complicated since they
	symlink sbin -> bin), their solution was to simply rename node
	to nodejs.  So that name seems to have some cross-distro
	support.  I am hoping Node.js upstream might accept it as a
	synonym for "node" in the same spirit as the gmake synonym for
	"make".  The Debian package has already adopted this change so
	we can see how it works out.

node ("axnode" as synonym):
http://bugs.debian.org/614907

	I have not confirmed this, but Pat mentioned that LinuxNode was
	once part of ax25-tools or ax25-apps.  That would suggest a good
	name for a synonym would be "axnode".  Since migrating
	configuration automatically is not difficult, a patch
	introducing that synonym could also make /usr/sbin/node print a
	warning suggesting that the caller use the new name.  I have
	proposed a patch along these lines and offered to make patches
	on top to migrate configuration if that first patch goes well.
	Perhaps no one has had time to review it?  I don't know, since
	no one has told me anything except that it is not enough to deal
	with the problem (yes, it wasn't supposed to be).

The defensive and hostile response to that second patch is what
prompted me to become a bit more pessimistic and contact the technical
committee.

[1] https://bugzilla.redhat.com/815018#c26