Re: Forge package not in forge hg repositories

[Carnë Draug]

On 7 April 2016 at 22:32, Juan Pablo Carbajal <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 7, 2016 at 10:46 PM, Carnë Draug <address@hidden> wrote:
>> On 25 March 2016 at 01:45, Juan Pablo Carbajal <address@hidden> wrote:
>>> On Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 2:37 AM, Carnë Draug <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>> On 22 March 2016 at 22:50, Juan Pablo Carbajal <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>>> I have a package that is generated form an external repository using a
>>>>> script. How can we have these package hosted at forge?
>>>>
>>>> Can you give more details?  Is this a matlab project that your script
>>>> repackages into an Octave package?  Is that a C library and you have
>>>> a script that generates an automatic wrapper into Octave types?  Something
>>>> else?
>>>
>>> It is a script that repackages this package
>>> http://www.gaussianprocess.org/gpml/code/matlab/doc/
>>> I have a repository here https://bitbucket.org/KaKiLa/gpml/src
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Do we accept packages in forge that do not have repositories in forge?
>>>>
>>>> No.
>>>
>>> Ok, so we mirror my repository? or what is the way to go?
>>
>> Have you approached them to have them do this?  I would prefer if this was
>> done by them and they upload the releases (or that if you do this, you do
>> it on their behalf with their permission).
>>
>> They have released a gpml package that they claim works in Octave.  You
>> have modified it and created a package with the same name and version
>> number that it can be installed with Octave pkg.  I don't think we should
>> be doing that.
>>
>> But there is an issue with packages that are released elsewhere.  We have
>> our release check and have previously rejected releases so it becomes an
>> issue if they are released somewhere else first.  This is the reason why
>> I have never even suggested bioformats [2] to release their package in OF
>> (I have added an Octave package target to their build system).
>>
>> So unless upstream is involved, and understanding how things work in OF,
>> I don't think we should be releasing their package.
>>
>> Carnë
>>
>> [1] http://downloads.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats/5.1.8/
>
> Hi,
>
> Of course I have approached them. Also you can see that my repository
> has the original author as admin.
> So, I understand that you are saying we do not put in in Forge. Sad,
> we might be losing some visibility.
> I will try the Debian guys to have it.
>
> I think we should re-thin this attitude/policy which in a way defeats
> the whole idea of libre software.
> Also I thin the way forge now it is really outdated. Lets see if we
> can get packages installed directly from the web.
>

You're still effectively creating another package with the same name and
version number which I think is asking for trouble.

It's not defeating the free software idea, you can still have it released
anywhere else.

It just doesn't fit with Octave Forge.  What you are proposing is something
more akin to Debian packages which distributes modified packages to fit
within their system, even if upstream does not want them to do it.

Carnë