From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Chong Yidong Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: CVS is the `released version' Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 14:51:01 -0400 Message-ID: <87abvyt3hm.fsf@stupidchicken.com> References: <2cd46e7f0705101124r72000f78xdf05d18ca815ca57@mail.gmail.com> <17991.47259.210100.801472@localhost.localdomain> <86646mjvxp.fsf@lola.quinscape.zz> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1179773349 19282 80.91.229.12 (21 May 2007 18:49:09 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 18:49:09 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: JD Smith Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon May 21 20:49:08 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1HqCwN-0002oP-Ne for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 20:49:07 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HqCwN-00024E-BO for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:49:07 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HqCwJ-000246-SJ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:49:03 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HqCwI-00021S-I7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:49:03 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HqCwI-00020v-C1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:49:02 -0400 Original-Received: from cyd.mit.edu ([18.19.1.138]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1HqCwI-0006SB-1q for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:49:02 -0400 Original-Received: by cyd.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 1000) id EBCB34EBAC; Mon, 21 May 2007 14:51:01 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: (JD Smith's message of "Mon\, 21 May 2007 11\:36\:49 -0700") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.990 (gnu/linux) X-detected-kernel: Linux 2.6, seldom 2.4 (older, 4) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:71542 Archived-At: JD Smith writes: > On Mon, 21 May 2007 12:46:42 +0200, David Kastrup wrote: > >> I can't see how this would in any way diminuish the FSF's ability to >> develop Emacs as an FSF-copyrighted package. At the current point of >> time, both pulling a (non-standardized) package into Emacs and >> maintaining it externally is a source of pain. > > Isn't that the point? That pain may be the motivation to assign > copyright and move a package into the mainline Emacs distribution. > Relieving it would lessen that motivation. On the other hand, the > pain may simply discourage any development. It's a fine line to walk. > > At the very minimum, an integrated, easy to use capability to update > assigned, core Emacs packages between releases would be very welcome. An analogy can be drawn to the Debian apt system. By default, this points to the Debian software repositories, but it is trivial to add third-party repositories to obtain packages that are not included in Debian for whatever reason (software patent encumbered codecs, experimental packages, etc.) The presence of this feature does not detract from Debian's ability to develop the Debian system. All things being equal, users generally use the default Debian package rather than an equivalent third-party package, if a Debian package exists; this is simply because the Debian package is better integrated into the Debian system (just as Lisp packages distributed with Emacs are better integrated into the rest of Emacs); but it is good to offer people a choice.