[Info-vax] Looking to find a way to pull all the Open Source / Freeware folks together

[Steven Schweda]

Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply wrote:

> We need a one-stop shop.  [...]

   I'm not convinced.  A one-stop directory is fine, but I
like to serve my own stuff, so I can see what gets downloaded.
There's a near-one-stop server for HP-UX stuff, of which
there's more than there would be for VMS, and it often runs
behind the current versions of things.  I'd expect the
workload involved in maintaining such a one-stop server to be
fairly high.  If the workload is low, then so is the need.

> Come up with a unified scheme for packaging and building.

   Good luck.

>   I suggest ZIP
> for packaging.  Some questions: should UNZIP then create a subdirectory
> where the stuff goes, or should it be unpacked where the ZIP file is
> (but, of course, perhaps with subdirectories)?

   With the possible exception of a one-file product, no
product should ever put more than a directory into the current
directory when it's unpacked.  Cleaning up the mess after
unpacking some large kit in the wrong place is normally
enough to persuade anyone of this.

>   How should executables
> and object files be named to differentiate between architectures?  How
> is the package built?

   I've adopted separate directories for product files for
different architectures.  I like that scheme.  Others like
different file types.  Good luck getting universal agreement.

> Documentation: Best would be HELP files which can be inserted into a
> library for third-party products (i.e. not from HP and not from
> individual users for their non-shared stuff).

   As is often the case, "best" may not always be what you
get.

> HELP files, such as those with ZIP and UNZIP, should be
> required.

   What's the penalty for not doing what's "required".  (I'll
pay it.)

>   Is it too much to expect
> BOOKREADER documentation?

   Yes.

> Reference: Should the user define symbols, logical names etc as
> described in the documentation, or should each package have procedures
> to be executed a) at startup and b) from SYS$SYLOGIN or wherever to set
> things up in a way which is guaranteed not to clash with anything else?

   I prefer to leave that stuff to the user.  Others seem to
prefer complete PCSI kits.  Good luck getting universal
agreement.

> I think the procedure is the way to go.  [...]

   Oh, yeah.  As if I'm likely to plop some other moron's DCL
into my SYS$SYLOGIN.  (My own is bad enough.)

> Have the extension .EXE, not .*EXE*.  Put the architecture
> name before the dot.  Ditto for .OBJ.

   Good luck getting universal agreement.

> No ODS-5 nonsense!

   Good luck getting universal agreement.  Too many modern
products expect to use multi-dot file names.  One man's
nonsense is another's good sense.  ODS2 is obsolete.

> Every package should have, in the top-level directory,
> BUILD.COM.  [...]

   Good luck getting universal agreement.  As a developer, I
prefer to use MMS/MMK builders.  Maintaining MMS/MMK and
simple DCL builders is generally more work than it's worth.
Other than for basic infrastructure (MMK, [Un]Zip), I'm
unlikely to bother.