[ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Mohsin Kaleem]

Hi,

This is just a friendly email to ask whether there's any interest in
including my package flymake-rest <https://melpa.org/#/flymake-rest>
in NonGNU ELPA (or ELPA). It's essentially an assortment of diagnostic
functions for a bunch of different linters/checkers and a few helper
functions for using flymake.

I realise the README of NonGNU ELPA mentions no packages may make
references to non-free software which could be a linter in the case of
this package. If necessary I'll move all references to such linters to
a separate MELPA package and only keep diagnostic functions for linters
with free licenses in the main package being proposed to NonGNU ELPA.

The purpose of this email is mostly to gauge whether there's any desire
for this package in NonGNU ELPA. What do you think?

-- 
Mohsin Kaleem

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Philip Kaludercic]

Mohsin Kaleem <mohkale@kisara.moe> writes:

> Hi,
>
> This is just a friendly email to ask whether there's any interest in
> including my package flymake-rest <https://melpa.org/#/flymake-rest>
> in NonGNU ELPA (or ELPA). It's essentially an assortment of diagnostic
> functions for a bunch of different linters/checkers and a few helper
> functions for using flymake.
>
> I realise the README of NonGNU ELPA mentions no packages may make
> references to non-free software which could be a linter in the case of
> this package. If necessary I'll move all references to such linters to
> a separate MELPA package and only keep diagnostic functions for linters
> with free licenses in the main package being proposed to NonGNU ELPA.

Out of curiosity, do you know if such software is widespread?  I guess
we are talking about things like something like a proprietary compiler
with static analysis, right?

It should also be pointed out that the issue isn't acknowledging
non-free software in itself (my usual example is browse-url supports
Google Chrome), but a strict dependence for the package to work.  Now I
am not sure if, e.g. adding support for Intel's ICC compiler would be OK
if GCC and Clang were also provided (never used ICC so this example
might be nonsensical)?

> The purpose of this email is mostly to gauge whether there's any desire
> for this package in NonGNU ELPA. What do you think?

I certainly think that this would be a very interesting package to have
in NonGNU ELPA (or even GNU ELPA).  If you are interested, it might even
make sense to add the macros -- or some variation thereof -- you use to
generate a checker to Flymake (ie. the core) itself.  Whether or not the
checkers should also be added is a different matter.

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Mohsin Kaleem]

Philip Kaludercic <philipk@posteo.net> writes:

> Out of curiosity, do you know if such software is widespread?

I have yet to encounter any so I don't think it's very widespread, but
when and if I do I'd like to include a definition in flymake-collection
(or at least somewhere it can easily be accessed).

> I guess we are talking about things like something like a proprietary
> compiler with static analysis, right?

Yes, that's a good example. Basically anything that can function as a
checker but lacks a free and open source license.

> It should also be pointed out that the issue isn't acknowledging
> non-free software in itself (my usual example is browse-url supports
> Google Chrome), but a strict dependence for the package to work.  Now I
> am not sure if, e.g. adding support for Intel's ICC compiler would be OK
> if GCC and Clang were also provided (never used ICC so this example
> might be nonsensical)?

That's a good point. Part of the goal of my original email is also to
clarify this.

>  If you are interested, it might even make sense to add the macros --
> or some variation thereof -- you use to generate a checker to Flymake
> (ie. the core) itself.

Good idea. There's already a few similar macros in the wild so having
something built in to emacs may help reduce the fragmentation on that
front. Although I'd like to make a few improvements to the current
implementation (checking remote files through TRAMP has not been merged
in yet) before making such a proposal.

-- 
Mohsin Kaleem

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Philip Kaludercic]

Mohsin Kaleem <mohkale@kisara.moe> writes:

> Philip Kaludercic <philipk@posteo.net> writes:
>
>>  If you are interested, it might even make sense to add the macros --
>> or some variation thereof -- you use to generate a checker to Flymake
>> (ie. the core) itself.
>
> Good idea. There's already a few similar macros in the wild so having
> something built in to emacs may help reduce the fragmentation on that
> front. Although I'd like to make a few improvements to the current
> implementation (checking remote files through TRAMP has not been merged
> in yet) before making such a proposal.

Of course, I see no need to rush this.  I also wonder if macros are the
right approach.  Do you think it could be possible to convert
`flymake-collection-define-...' into functions?  Or perhaps even a
number of method?  My fear is that the current implementation might be a
bit difficult to understand, if only because of the number of keyword
options that are merged into the final checker.

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Stefan Monnier]

> Of course, I see no need to rush this.  I also wonder if macros are the
> right approach.  Do you think it could be possible to convert
> `flymake-collection-define-...' into functions?  Or perhaps even a
> number of method?  My fear is that the current implementation might be a
> bit difficult to understand, if only because of the number of keyword
> options that are merged into the final checker.

Also functions make it easier for a major to setup flymake support
without actually requiring flymake.


        Stefan

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Mohsin Kaleem]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

Hi all,

Just to give a quick update. I've started work on a new functional
framework for flymake-collections checkers. Once it's ready I'll
probably re-approach the matter of ELPA or perhaps even builtin
flymake support for it.

-- 
Mohsin Kaleem

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[João Távora]

On Fri, Apr 21, 2023 at 4:06 PM Mohsin Kaleem <mohkale@kisara.moe> wrote:
>
> Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Just to give a quick update. I've started work on a new functional
> framework for flymake-collections checkers. Once it's ready I'll
> probably re-approach the matter of ELPA or perhaps even builtin
> flymake support for it.

If that functional framework is well design and generally
useful (it could -- ideally should -- help in simplifying
the few Flymake backends that are already in core) then
we can add it to lisp/progmodes/flymake.el.

Flymake is a :core ELPA package, meaning you could submit that
change to  the master branch and it would soon be accessible to
other ELPA packages.  Then your flymake-rest package could just
depend on this new version of Flymake and so could other packages
like Eglot (of course, only if the change were actually beneficial to it).

TL;DR In general, if you see yourself typing any code that
could help Flymake elsewhere in other contexts, consider
submitting that code to lisp/progmodes/flymake.el

João

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Philip Kaludercic]

Mohsin Kaleem <mohkale@kisara.moe> writes:

> Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Just to give a quick update. I've started work on a new functional
> framework for flymake-collections checkers. Once it's ready I'll
> probably re-approach the matter of ELPA or perhaps even builtin
> flymake support for it.

Is it possible to follow your work somewhere, or are you working on this
privately?

-- 
Philip Kaludercic

Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Mohsin Kaleem]

Philip Kaludercic <philipk@posteo.net> writes:

> Is it possible to follow your work somewhere, or are you working on this
> privately?

So far all I've done is here [1], completely untested and hideous. Long
term I'll probably keep the macros but just as syntax sugar for creating
an interactive function that calls the new
'flymake-collection--run-checker' function with a well defined parameter
list.

[1]: https://github.com/mohkale/flymake-collection/pull/23

-- 
Mohsin Kaleem