Re: Checksums

[Walter Landry <wlandry@ucsd.edu>]

Martin Schröder <ms@artcom-gmbh.de> wrote:
> On 2002-07-25 16:46:57 -0700, Walter Landry wrote:
> > Um, no.  In the case where package FOO needs package BAR,
> > \NeedsTeXFormat has BAR tell FOO that BAR is a good version.  Using
> 
> It can tell BAR only that FOO is the version BAR knows. What if
> FOO is a newer but compatible version?

The package FOO needs package BAR.  Consider \NeedsTeXFormat.  If FOO
changes, then you may or may not have to also change BAR.  If BAR
changes, you only need to change BAR.

Using \verify_package, if FOO changes, then you only have to change
FOO.  If BAR changes, then you have to change FOO and BAR.

What I believe the LaTeX people want is the second result.  If someone
changes some file deep down within LaTeX, then they want you to have
to change the LaTeX kernel.  If someone changes the LaTeX kernel, then
they don't care what happens to the internals.

This is all independent of the licensing scheme.  The license under
consideration for \NeedTeXFormat seem to want to force a change in FOO
if BAR changes.  I would vastly prefer technical, rather than legal
means.

It does make LaTeX more fragile.  That seems to be what the LaTeX
people want.  If you fiddle with any part, then everything that uses
that breaks.

Regards,
Walter Landry
wlandry@ucsd.edu



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