Re: icedtea status?

[Michael Koch <konqueror@gmx.de>]

On Sun, Jan 06, 2008 at 04:38:48PM +0100, Arnaud Vandyck wrote:
> 2008/1/6, Petter Reinholdtsen <pere@hungry.com>:
> >
> > There is no need to have them in contrib for other arches.  You seem
> > to assume that packages in main need to work on all architectures.  As
> > far as I know, there is no such requirement.  It only need to work on
> > at least one.  The policy section 2.2.1 (the main category) reads:
> >
> >   Every package in main must comply with the DFSG (Debian Free
> >   Software Guidelines).
> >
> >   In addition, the packages in main
> >    - must not require a package outside of main for compilation or
> >      execution (thus, the package must not declare a "Depends",
> >      "Recommends", or "Build-Depends" relationship on a non-main
> >      package),
> 
> But on other arches, the package will require a package *outside* of main!
> 
> >    - must not be so buggy that we refuse to support them, and
> >    - must meet all policy requirements presented in this manual.
> >
> > Nothing there require it to work on _all_ architectures.  Those on
> > architectures where a package in main does not work yet, are free to
> > port it to their architecture (as it is following DFSG), but there is
> > no requirement for anyone to do it.
> 
> but they do work on arches that have a non-free jvm so they have to go
> to contrib.
> 
> > I fail to see how it make a difference for users of architectures
> > where a given package do not work if that package is available in main
> > or contrib.  They still need to get extra software from somewhere,
> > change their hardware, or port the software to their architecture.
> > The location of the source or binary do not affect their options,
> > while it do change the options for those architectures where the
> > package in question do work.
> 
> libhibernate3-java works on powerpc with IBM's non-free jvm and is in
> contrib. It'll work with Icedtea/OpenJDK. Will you put
> libhibernate3-java in main?! That's the problem. You cannot say
> libhibernate3-java is in main because on other arches then x86, it
> needs software outside of main, so it must be in contrib!

I have to say I agree with Petter. I would say that stuff can go to main
when it works on one or two or three archs and not others with free
runtimes. Runtimes will get bug reports that stuff dont works on certain
platforms and people will work on this. This will encourage even more
people...


Cheers,
Michael