Re: Requests to sponsor new library packages
> On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 11:42:38PM +1000, Ben Finney wrote:
> > Sune Vuorela <nospam@vuorela.dk> writes:
> > > On 2009-08-19, Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> > > > That's interesting, thank you for that perspective. What do you
> > > > propose, then, for a maintainer who wants to get a new package into
> > > > Debian, but that package requires one or more separately-packaged
> > > > libraries that *also* need to be sponsored into Debian before the
> > > > ???interesting??? package can go in?
> > >
> > > Request sponsorship together. And read up on library packaging.
> >
> > Matthew Palmer <mpalmer@debian.org> writes:
> > > Put them all into the same (or linked) RFS.
> >
> > I obviously wasn't clear on this point: The library package is prepared
> > *first*, to provide functionality needed by the dependent package.
> > They're not ready for sponsorship together. What advice then?
> >
> > In my case, ‘fooapp’ needs ‘libbar’, which in turn needs ‘libbaz’. So,
> > with only a limited amount of time, I work first on ‘libbaz’, and that
> > package is ready for sponsorship before the others. Should I wait until
> > all three are done — an indeterminate amount of time — before making an
> > RFS for the ready-to-inspect ‘libbaz’?
>
> Make an RFS if you like, but don't get all bent out of shape and chuck a
> hissy fit on d-mentors if nobody does anything about it (because it's a
> library package -- hard to do right, and utterly pointless without an
> application to go with it).
In my opinion properly designed and packaged libraries which could lead to
substantial code reusability are never pointless, even when no packaged
application currently depends on them. That is simply how functionality
intended to be reused is introduced in a distribution proper, since people
usually look around for libraries to reuse, before they start to code on their
new and shiny application. Thus having packaged reusable components would help
application writers to design and build their _new_ apps with such libs in
mind. These apps could eventually be packaged at some point or just stay
specific to users sites. It is my belief that library packages should almost
always provide examples to encourage new users to employ their functionality
as intended and to ease sponsor's checking process as well.
--
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