Adding a generic mathematical library

[Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com>]

> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2024 at 2:20 AM
> From: "Stefan Kangas" <stefankangas@gmail.com>
> To: "Christopher Dimech" <dimech@gmx.com>, "Emanuel Berg" <incal@dataswamp.org>
> Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: Adding a generic mathematical library
>
> Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com> writes:
>
> > You can get good results if you discuss the possibilities and capabilities
> > of a library with the developers of calc.  And do some work with them.
> > You will be doing a generic mathematical library anyway.  Is there a good
> > reason why an association with them is so terrible ?  Have you worked with
> > them before ?
>
> FYI, we basically don't have any active "calc developers" to talk to.
> There are some people that occasionally contribute here and there
> though, see "git log lisp/calc".

The suggestion to have Emanuel handle the Calc package in Emacs raises
several considerations about the responsibilities and experiences needed
to maintain such a tool, as well as the broader context of contributing
to and maintaining GNU packages.

Maintaining a GNU package like Calc requires a deep understanding of both
the package itself and the broader GNU/Emacs ecosystem.  This includes
familiarity with the expectations of the Emacs user community.

There might be concerns about readiness because potential maintainers
often gain experience by working closely with current maintainers.
This apprenticeship-like model helps them understand the responsibilities,
workflows, and expectations involved in maintaining a GNU package.

The role of a maintainer includes making difficult decisions about the
future direction of the package.  A trial period could be considered.