Re: Policy change proposal, Re: Bug#176628: sablevm: package incorrctly provides java1-runtime
Hi Ola,
--- Ola Lundqvist <opal@debian.org> wrote:
> Well then we have to have an alternative approach to
> this.
>
> javaX-core-classes (I assume that there are
> differences between versions there)
> javaX?-awt
> javaX?-swing
>
> Then java1-runtime depends on java1-core-classes,
> java1-awt and java1-swing
>
> Is that a better proposal. I'll make that package if
> it is accepted.
Only so far that Swing never officially was part of
JDK 1.1, but there was a swing implementation for JDK
1.1 that could be downloaded as an extension. For
extra fun, I assume it was slightly different from the
Swing shipped with Java 1.2.0, as it was labelled
swing-1.1.1 FCS.
I think trying to formalize what features free VMs
support by breaking the feature set into smaller bits
and pieces is a sure way to end up having
javax-with-reflection-but-without-the-necessary-security-checks
and similar tags to label deficiences of particular
implementations instead of fixing them.
Blindly assuming that an application will work on one
free VM because it works on another is, at the current
state of things, also dangerous.
If I may make a proposal, as someone who's just a
lurker here, I'd say remove the 'provides
javax-runtime' tag from the free VM releases that
obviously lack the functionality of the tagged JDK
release, according to japitools. But only allow Java
programs to get into 'debain free' if they explicitely
name in their requirements a free VM as the default
choice and the maintainer has gone through the work of
testing it, and getting it to run with either kaffe,
gcj, sablevm, or some other free VM included in
'debian-free'.
This approach provides two benefits: on one hand, the
free VMs get more testing and bug fixing work, then
they would otherwise. On the other hand, having a
debian maintainer state that his package works with a
free VM is a badge of honor for both the free VM and
the maintainer. Given that the VM developers usually
can't test everything all the time, it would provide
additional insurance to the users that the free VMs
they got on their debian systems actually work for
something ;)
The downsides are probably many. As I said, I am not a
debian developer, so I don't know if putting this
additional burden of work on the maintainers is a good
idea or not, if it's in line with other debian
policies, etc.
best regards,
dalibor topic
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