Re: Replace GNU bc?
On Mon, Jan 28, 2019 at 11:03:50AM -0700, Gavin Howard wrote:
> I am the author of an implementation of POSIX bc with all GNU
> extensions (https://github.com/gavinhoward/bc).
> Would there be any interest in replacing the GNU bc with my bc in
> Debian? I would be willing to do the work to package it.
I'd say that _replacing_ is out of question at this point, but your
implementation would be very welcome as either something coinstallable or at
least an alternative. Once it's tested and so on, there might be time to
flip the default.
bc is used mostly by Unix greybeards, and that's the kind of people who
really don't like regressions.
Mostly, we'd want to see a compelling benefits why it's be better than the
mature and well-tested GNU version.
> * It can be used in Linux kernel builds.
So can GNU bc.
> * It is zero-dependency and builds without modification on any
> POSIX-compliant platform.
Nice, but not an upside on full-blown Debian installations, and bc is not a
part of busyboxy scenarios around here.
> * It has history without needing libreadline or libeditline.
libreadline is present on the vast majority of systems already.
> * It comes with full man pages.
That's a pretty basic requirement.
> * It comes with some extra math operators, extra math functions, and extensions.
Unix history shows that resisting to add such goodies is not humanly
possible even for projects whose stated purpose is to remove all bloat. So
obviously your project has some. And those may or may not be nice to have.
> * It includes a full dc (except for the dangerous and unnecessary "!"
> command) that uses a symlink to use the same binary (like busybox and
> toybox).
Reasonable.
> * Its license is more permissive.
Not an upside for us at all (but not a downside either).
Thus, the big question is: "why?". GNU bc doesn't suffer from
unacceptable evels of bloat, and it's not used in perfomance-critical
scenarios, so speed is not a concern. There's a cost to switching.
I'd have your implementation under a different name (sort of like mawk vs
gawk), and give it time to prove itself. And when people say your version
is better and GNU bc is obsolete, then we'll talk...
How does this plan sound to you?
Meow!
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