RE: New package repo request - raspi

[JohnD]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kai Torben Ohlhus [mailto:k.ohlhus@gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 30, 2020 8:54 AM
> To: JohnD
> Cc: octave-maintainers@gnu.org; Olaf Till
> Subject: Re: New package repo request - raspi
> 
> On 11/30/20 9:49 PM, JohnD wrote:
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Kai Torben Ohlhus [mailto:k.ohlhus@gmail.com]
> >> Sent: Monday, November 30, 2020 1:03 AM
> >> To: JohnD
> >> Cc: octave-maintainers@gnu.org
> >> Subject: Re: New package repo request - raspi
> >>
> >> On 11/28/20 11:22 PM, JohnD wrote:
> >>> I have a new package I am working on for a raspberrypi toolkit for
> octave,
> >>> similar in functions to the raspberry pi toolkit for matlab [1].
> >>>
> >>> Most of the basic functions are now in a working state (basic io, servos,
> >>> serial, i2c, serial, linux) using pigpio [2] and a couple of supplement
> >>> scripts installed on the raspberry pi.
> >>>
> >>> So,  can I get a hg repo added on Octave forge to push the code to -
> >>> something like 'raspi' or 'raspberrypi' or 'raspberrypiio' in order to
> >>> prepare for an initial release ?
> >>>
> >>> John D
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> Your raspberrypi toolkit looks great, thanks for considering to share it
> >> with other Octave users =)
> >>
> >> I am involved as Octave Forge admin, but I can only devote time to
> >> maintain existing packages there.  Currently there are no plans to
> >> extend the Octave Forge project.
> >>
> >> The "Package Extensions Index" [3] is the public collection of Octave
> >> packages, that contains all Octave Forge packages and some more.  It
> >> offers an easy way to get your new package listed there today [4].
> >>
> >> If you want to opt-in for inclusion of your package into the MS Windows
> >> installer, for example, this is independent of being an Octave Forge
> >> package and has to be negotiated with the MXE-Octave (MS Windows
> >> installer) team.
> >>
> >> Looking forward for your new package,
> >>
> >> Kai
> >>
> >
> > Ok - so there are no plans on hosting new packages in the Octave forge in
> the mercurial repos, or releasing packages there ?
> >
> 
> 
> To my knowledge not.  Recently, there was a discussion on Discourse [5]
> and the wiki [6], which you might know about.
> 
> Until September Olaf was the last-admin-standing, as all other Octave
> Forge admins one-by-one could no longer devote time to the project.  The
> sad truth is, the Octave Forge project looks still pretty nice, but
> maintaining it, releasing/checking a single package, not to say adding a
> new package, is "stupid unpaid" work with little automation on the admin
> side.
> 
> My sole devotion as Octave Forge admin since October is trying to avoid
> that the last few active nice packages (I use) give up.  Releasing
> existing packages, thus some development still happens there.
> 
> If you like Octave Forge, you are of course any time warmly welcomed to
> become admin as well and revitalize the project as you think it is best
> =)  And you can add your package yourself, as you please.  If nobody is
> willing to work on Octave Forge, the Octave Package Extension Index [3]
> or some other "pkg"-compatible mechanism must take over.
> 
> Kai
> 
> 
> [1] https://www.mathworks.com/help/supportpkg/raspberrypiio/index.html
> [2] http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/
> [3] https://gnu-octave.github.io/pkg-index/
> [4] https://github.com/gnu-octave/pkg-
> index/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
> [5]
> https://octave.discourse.group/t/online-developer-meeting-2020-11-10-
> the-future-of-octave-packages/349
> [6] https://wiki.octave.org/Online_Developer_Meeting_(2020-11-10)

I can become an admin if needed and help out. Before now, I haven't really 
asked to be since I think I may be the user releasing the most packages so it 
has kind of been a conflict of interests in terms of a reviewing something that 
I prepared.

Im ok with octave forge slowly going away however it would be nice if pkg 
command worked with the index without the need to specify the whole url so make 
it easier to work with packages.

ie: I know if want to install the image package, so I have to go to the index, 
search for the package, copy the url and paste it into a octave pkg command, 
rather than pkg install image

Also, if moving away from octave-forge, perhaps the octave-forge pages should 
show a link to the index.