Re: Bug#698988: O: nvi - 4.4BSD re-implementation of vi
On 2024-02-05 Tobias Heider <me@tobhe.de> wrote:
[...]
> As an active nvi user I would love to step up and help, but the biggest
> problem I see is that the choice of upstream project. Since the original
> is gone there isn't a clear successor.
> The BSDs all have their own forks which diverged over time (and those don't
> build on Linux).
> The other two options there are today are https://repo.or.cz/nvi.git which
> d/control currently points to and more recently https://github.com/lichray/nvi2.
> The first has a very low commit frequency (last commit was 2020, before
> that 2016) and sticks very closely to the original source. nvi2 has added
> new features such as multibyte support and is starting to receive bug fixes
> and features from the different *BSD forks.
> I have been thinking of proposing a new package for nvi2 but maybe it
> would make more sense to move this one to the more active upstream.
> It looks like some of the issues we are carrying patches for in Debian
> might be fixed there already and if not they seem active enough to
> merge our fixes.
> What would be the best way forward here? ITA and eventually switch the
> upstream or start a new package and let this one continue its slow
> death?
Hello Thomas,
On one hand it depends on whether there is significant value in keeping the
other nvi around, i.e. a significant part of the userbase would be
reluctant to switch. (I have no opinion on that I use vim ;-)
On the other hand reducing the number of QA-maintained packages is a
strong argument for switching.
cu Andreas
--
`What a good friend you are to him, Dr. Maturin. His other friends are
so grateful to you.'
`I sew his ears on from time to time, sure'
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