Re: splitting the ocaml package ???

[Ruchira Datta <datta@math.berkeley.edu>]

Georges Mariano wrote:
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Exceptionnellement, je me permets de répondre en français car il me semble
>que nous devons insister sur certains points et j'ai peur que ma mauvaise
>expression en anglais de ces points (importants) n'induise des malentendus
>non souhaités.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "Just this once, I'm taking the liberty of answering in French since it
  seems to me we should insist on certain points and I'm afraid my bad
  English expression of these (important) points might cause some unwelcome
  misunderstandings."

My translation of the rest of the post follows:

  It seems to me that one of the goals, albeit not an explicit one, of
  packaging Ocaml for Debian is to facilitate the acquisition of Ocaml
  technologies by the usual Linux users, who are more used to the triplet
  (C,C++,Java).

  It's obvious that languages like Ocaml run into some hesitation when first
  met with, this is why we must take care to "shepherd" the user.  In
  particular, the point is to lead Ocaml into a "world" where many things are
  already in place, have demonstrated their usefulness and, rightly or
  wrongly, form part of the basic requirements.

  Some (selected!) examples??
  - compiling and installing software by (./configure; make; make install)
  - in interactive mode, command line history (bash, gnuplot, scripting...)
  - internationalization of applications
  - integration of graphics "bindings" (gtk??)
  - others??

  Coming back to the question of libreadline/ledit, I have to say that
  ledit does not appeal to me *a priori* (i.e., unless it brings many more
  things with it), especially because I don't see why Ocaml won't demonstrate
  that it can be integrated naturally into a libreadline "culture" which I've
  already...  On one hand, I want to make a decent effort to "get into Ocaml"
  but on the other hand, "it" has to integrate itself into my culture (unless
  there's a contradiction)...

  This is why it seems important to me to advocate (lobby for?) a
  reconciliation with libreadline, even if practically there exists ledit.
  The *technical* solution ledit shouldn't mask the "cultural" aspects of
  adopting a language and its environment.

  PS0: obviously, this point of view does not exclude the packaging of ledit
      (which apparently doesn't exist under Debian...)

  PS1: this message could have been posted to the caml list but I admit being
  a little afraid of the potential reactions...

  PS2: [No longer applicable. ;-)]

This translation brought to you by:

Ruchira Datta
datta@math.berkeley.edu