Re: [PROPOSAL] New Virtual Packages and way to handle Classpath
Hallo Matt,
* Matt Zimmerman wrote:
>On Tue, Sep 02, 2003 at 06:58:58PM +0200, Jan Schulz wrote:
>> The interface java2-runtime means, that /usr/bin/java can be used.
>Which is not a useful concept, because almost no nontrivial applications can
>work with everything which currently provides /usr/bin/java.
Yes.
>> This is, why I started this Proposal.
>I like some of the ideas in your proposal, but things like "Java Runtime
>Environments, which are complient to the Java Spec of a specific Version,
>have to provide the virtual package [...] and setup alternatives [...]" are
>not achievable with the current state of free java.
This interface is not for the free ones but only for the sun complient
ones (Sun, BD, IBM). The rest will be handled independently.
>None of the java
>implementations in Debian would be able to provide these virtual packages or
>alternatives. This is a shame, because the free JVMs are able to run a lot
>of code, and would benefit from more use and exposure.
But not two of them have the same API/spec/whatever. You need to test
each of them before using them in your packaging. Putting each of
this tests into a 'interface' is simple not possible, as I've learned
during the discussion here (hundreds of alternatives and virtual
packages).
With this interfaces you can install a package and know that it will
run, even if you have a non complient VM installed. Therefor this
packages will get more attention: currently, you have to do some work
to get java working. Together with kaffe in main and the packages
using it, most people will not bother to get a unfree one.
As someone else pointed out, with the defiend interface to build
packages, something can be setup to start regression testing (someone
needs to setup it though...).
Also, /usr/bin/java is still set up by all installed JVM (only
protected by a very weak interface), but official packages should not
use it (for an example what can happen, see #207830).
Debian has a reputation, that it works. Not that the users are the beta
testers.
Jan
--
Jan Schulz jasc@gmx.net
"Wer nicht fragt, bleibt dumm."
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