Re: BUGLIST - longer each update

[Chris Waters <xtifr@dsp.net>]

Steve Haslam <araqnid@debian.org> writes:
> On Wed, Jun 30, 1999 at 05:58:49PM -0700, Chris Waters wrote:

> > Um, I think Debian Policy overrides snotty comments.  :-)

> I was hoping that there was a good reason for requiring TERM=xterm, and I
> seemed to remember that it was the change to use xterm-debian that broke the
> delete/backspace thing. I could be wrong there.

My understanding is that xterm-debian is the best compromise we've
been able to come up with for various conflicting goals.  It may not
be to everyone's liking, but it is compliant with policy (keyboard
policy, to be precise).  IOW, "it ain't broke, it's policy".  :-)

I haven't seen these snotty comments, so I can't say how relevent they
are to anything.  But they definitely do *not* take precedence over
Debian policy.

[re: XSF page]
> I've read the page briefly before, although I could do with a memory
> refresh... hm, perhaps looking to see just how the terminal characteristics
> differ would be a good plan too.

Basically, it just says what I said above, along with a pointer to
some extended discussion that took place in the BTS about the whole
xterm-debian issue.

I'd say you have three choices:

a) ignore the snotty comments and go back to xterm-debian (the easy
   way out).

b) study the whole situation, figure out a way to use TERM=xterm
   without violating policy, and convince me that it works, so that
   I close the bug I'm about to open.

c) if b) isn't possible, propose a change to policy which allows you
   to use TERM=xterm without violating policy.  Note that your
   proposal will have to satisfy all of the conflicting goals that
   xterm-debian satisfies.

Note that there's no guarantee that b) *or* c) is even possible.  And
if not, you might want to forward the reasoning back upstream, so that
maybe they won't feel compelled to make snotty comments any more.
-- 
Chris Waters   xtifr@dsp.net | I have a truly elegant proof of the
      or    xtifr@debian.org | above, but it is too long to fit into
http://www.dsp.net/xtifr     | this .signature file.