Re: [OSR] Ports-like package management system

[Sylvain Le Gall <sylvain@le-gall.net>]

On 30-01-2008, Berke Durak <berke.durak@exalead.com> wrote:
> Sylvain Le Gall a écrit :
>>> We are not forcing anyone to work using the selected VCS.  We are just 
>>> asking them to regularly publish their software to the VCS.  If they 
>>> directly work using the selected VCS, publishing commits will be easier 
>>> for them - but they can still work on a day-to-day basis using their own 
>>> VCS.
>>>
>> 
>> Do they have to merge their changes with packager changes? In this case,
>> i really do think that upstream author won't publish their changes a
>> lot.
>
> If they are using VCS2 for working, they just have to commit their changeset to
> some VCS repository from time to time.  This repository can be hosted by anyone.
> There won't be a mandatory central repository.
>
> Example 1: Alphonse uses Darcs to develop Nicemodule.  He sets up a VCS repository
> (say, Mercurial, if we agree on mercurial) repository on his server.  He adds the
> required opkg files in his source tree.  Once in a while he commits Nicemodule to
> his Mercurial repository, but keeps working on Darcs.  Bernard checks out the
>   Mercurial and sends a patch P against the Mercurial version.
>

Not sure it will work in most case.

> Example 2: Alphonse doesn't want to use opkg or mercurial, but is the author of
> a really nice module Nicemodule. Bernard sets up a Mercurial repository where he imports
> Alphonse's Nicemodule and adds opkg information. Opkg users can then use Nicemodule
> by simply writing require(nicemodule).  Bernard tracks Alphonse's source
> code and sends him back patches against his code.
>

I think this should be an option. The only things is that Bernard must
continue to send patches to Alphonse...

> Example 3: Alphonse finally sees that using the same VCS as everyone else has more
> benefits than the extra niceness his preferred VCS has.  His changes will be visible
> immediately in the Opkg system and he will be able to pull patches from his friends
> easily.  He therefore uses Opkg and its associated VCS right from the start for
> his new project.  When he has a new stable release, he simply tags it and adds a line
> in the release file.  When Bernard starts developing a feature Y, he can directly pull
> Alphonse's changes and push back bug fixes.

Stop dreaming ;-) (i.e. Alphonse and Bernard keep talking about VCS,
Alphonse and Bernard decide to both start a new VCS from scratch, in
OCaml, nobody works anymore on Nicemodule).

Regards,
Sylvain Le Gall