Re: [gpsd-dev] version number proliferation, - considered harmful

[Greg Troxel]

"Gary E. Miller" <address@hidden> writes:

>>   The problem is that other packages think - is an ok character to use
>>   in the package name.  And hence a packaging system that attempts to
>>   guess ends up in a mess.   This is a messy problem; ideally both
>>   package names and versions would not be allowed to contain -.
>
> Any -dev or !dev is NOT for use by any packager.  So not a problem for
> any packager.  If it breaks pacakes, that is a good thing.

It's not a good thing; I'm talking about the git->tarball->package
testing pathway.

>>   The version number appears in 19 files in git.  It should be read at
>>   build time from one place.
>
> Yup.  Wanna submit a patch for that?  People have wanted that for
> a long time.  No one wants to do the work.

A long way of saying ENOPATCH; that's what I expected and fair enough.

>>   3.19~dev (which I am 99% sure gpsd used to do)
>
> You mean replace the minus with a tilda?  That could work.

Yes, I mean that exactly.

>>   3.18.70 (which aligns with very longstanding GNU notions that .80
>> and .90 are for alpha and beta leading up to the next release, so
>> that the version numbers even of those sort correctly.
>
> Except that does not match our use case and violates exiting practice.
>
> It is alos not the way GNU does it in git.

I don't follow, but a) that's ok and b) it's clear almost no one else
likes this, so it doesn't matter why.

>>   if not, any reason not to use ~ instead of -, to avoid the overused
>> -?
>
> works for me.
>  
>> If I hear nothing, I'll change to ~ after a while.
>
> Works for me.  Please document it.

OK - I have two votes in favor of changing - to ~, and no objections, so
far.  continuing to wait a bit...