Packaging OSLib

[Tony van der Hoff]

"alan buckley" <alan_baa at hotmail.com> wrote in message
<BAY101-F29543853D29B81648552E7F0520 at phx.gbl>
> 
> >Tony van der Hoff <tony at vanderhoff.org> wrote:
> >"alan buckley" <alan_baa at hotmail.com> wrote in message
> ><BAY101-F206D6673C14EFB9231B075F0520 at phx.gbl>
> >
> [snip]
> 
> > > I think I didn't make myself very clear here. What I was wondering was
> > if
> > > there were any plans to create an OSLib package (i.e. a packaged
> > > version of the library) so the latest (packaged) version of the
> > > library could be downloaded using the RiscPkg Package manager.
> >
> > Why? What benefits would that bestow?
> >
> 
> It would allow me to see when updates are available from a single
> location and download the update very simply along with updates
> of any other libraries or programs that are packaged. It also means
> that any source code packaged can show that it requires OSLib to
> rebuild it and which version and give a convenient way to get it.
> 
> There are probably better people than me to give the general benefits of
> a package manager. You may want to look at the RISC OS Packaging site
> http://www.riscpkg.org/.

Yes, I'm aware of the project. A neat idea, but a solution looking for a
problem IMHO. It doesn't appear to have got widespread support, porbably for
the same reasons is I'm giving. As Dave has pointed out, but you seem to
have failed to understand, OSLib is not the sort of thing that needs to be
present to support an application; it is linked in by the application
developer, and it is he who will decide to fetch a new version of the
library, if he so wishes. There is no runtime "dependency" as such on OSLib.
Your point about re building from source is valid, but thre seem to be few,
if any, applications released in source form. 

I'm assuming that the package builder requires a working RISC OS machine;
something that is for me, at least, increasingly difficult. (OSLib itself
now builds under Linux).

I was actually soliciting opinion as to the likely benefits to the OSLib
project. OSLib *is* available from a single source. Updates are few
nowadays. Given the lack of innovation on the OS from both the main RISC OS
developers, I can't see that changing much. 

My personal feeling is that the current arrangements work well enough, but I
would welcome anyone volunteering to build packages from the freely
available OSLib project. If you subscribe to the oslib-commits mail list,
you'd automatically be kept informed of any updates.

-- 
Tony van der Hoff        | mailto:tony at vanderhoff.org
Buckinghamshire, England