Re: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

[Ulrich Mueller <ulm@gentoo.org>]

>>>>> On Sun, 24 Jan 2021, Richard Stallman wrote:

>> > What role do these particular schemas play in the standard?
>> > Are they examples?  Are they used by the standards documents?

>> It's not entirely clear to me if they're considered part of the
>> standard.

> It sounds like they are either examples or part of the standard
> and we cannot tell which.  Is that right?

At least I couldn't tell.

> Do users actually use them?

AFAICS, ox-odt.el uses them together with nxml-mode for auto-validation
of OpenDocument files. So they are useful.

Interestingly, the docstring of the org-odt-schema-dir variable contains
the following note, indicating that the files weren't meant to be
packaged:

   The OASIS schema files are available only in the org's private git
   repository.  It is *not* bundled with GNU ELPA tar or standard Emacs
   distribution.

Still, I think it would be preferable if upstream released them under a
free license.

>> says that "This specification consists of this document as well as the
>> following documents, schemas and ontologies".

> I presume that is followed by a list of documents, schemas and ontologies.
> Could you please send me that list?  Without that, I don't see
> what this implies.

>> [1] http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/os/OpenDocument-v1.2-os.html

> I will fetch a copy.

> Would you please send me (off the list) one of these schemas so I can
> see what a typical schema looks like?

I'll send it off-list.

> Also, what is the relationship between Org mode and these schemes?
> How does it use them or operate on them?  What does it do with them?
> What does it do if a document refers to a scheme and the schema is
> not defined?

See above, they're used by ox-odt.el. AFAICT, nothing catastrophic will
happen if a schema is missing, but validation of documents would be no
longer possible.

> Do users ever modify the schemas for their own documents?
> Do they distribute the modified schemas along with their documents?

I don't think so. OpenDocument is a standardised format, so modifying
its schemas would make little sense for interoperability.

> Do users make their own schemas?  Do users release their own
> schemas?  Are any user-released schemas free?

Users can create their own schemas for their own types of XML documents
(which aren't necessarily related to OpenDocument), and they can release
them under any license they want.

> Do they expect users to actually use these specific schemas,
> or are they only meant to show what a schema looks like
> so you can write your own?

> Do users often use these schemas, or do they usually make their own?

My explanations above should answer these questions.

> All these details of the context are crucial for finding a way to
> address this problem which won't be too much work for us or too
> painful for users.