Re: Purpose of version number install jar installation

[Arnaud Vandyck <avdyk@debian.org>]

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Barry Hawkins wrote:
> I can think of a couple of reasons why numbered versions
> of .jar files are used:
> 
> 1.) Java(TM) libraries have a notorious tendency
>     (not unlike other languages) to not preserve
>     backward compatibility between significant
>     revisions.

In that case, we change the name of the package:

o libstruts1.1-java
  -> struts-1.1.jar
o libstruts1.2-java
  -> struts-1.2.jar

but we don't need struts.jar and struts-1.2.8.jar
(IM-very-HO ;-))

> 2.) A given library may have multiple versions
>     within the Debian repository at a given time.

[...]

> This is really two perspectives of the same issue;
> the need to have more than one version of a given
> piece of software is a common issue throughout Debian,
> and use of files whose name contains their version
> is fairly common, such as the different gcc versions.

So why not having the number version that is in the
name of the package,  but not a symlink to the name
of the package without the number  (but the problem
would be "not respecting the upstream name"?),  and
not having the complete version name because we can
not install two versions along and:
$ dpkg -l <PKG_NAME>
can give us the installed version of the package.

c     o     m     m     e     n     t     s      ?

- --
  .''`.
 : :' :rnaud
 `. `'
   `-
Java Trap: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html
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