From: Austin Ziegler Date: 2005-09-27T11:49:14+09:00 Subject: Re: gems is a language change, not a pkging system On 9/26/05, Sam Roberts wrote: > Quoting james@grayproductions.net, on Tue, Sep 27, 2005 at 11:06:01AM > +0900: >> I think many of the rest of us consider a packaging system a critical >> language feature, past due. So don't fault us for moving forward and >> we won't fault you for standing still. [...] > Packaging is close to non-controversial, as far as I can tell. Other > than wishes for improved functionality, I have heard almost no debate. Um. I'm not sure where you're getting that. The entire thread -- that I'll clearly admit to dominating because I'm tired of obstructionism from people who aren't in the least concerned about other platforms -- was about Debian folks not liking the idea of having to adapt to Yet Another Packaging System. Period. > If gems had stopped at a good packaging system, it would probably be > in the std lib by now. > > As a versioning system, which requires language change, there is much > debate. Sorry, but yours is the first that I've really seen, and I haven't seen anything substantive to support your allegations (of breaking behaviour if you don't use RubyGems *or* that versioning support is a mistake). > I guess if you shout loud enough that anybody opposed to the gems > require hack is a dinosaur opposed to packaging you might make it > *appear* to be true, but it won't be. > I am simply opposed to packaging being coupled to versioning. > Munging your solutions to two problems together just because a bunch > of you happen to have both problems, and despite causing other people > new problems, doesn't seem like a great idea. Please, elaborate on these "new problems." I mean it. Changing #require isn't the nightmare you expect it to be. Also, don't completely judge the RubyGems situation based on the current implementation. It has to swallow LoadError exceptions -- precisely because it doesn't want to interfere with the standard require mechanism. Versioning is always optional in RubyGems. If you don't use it, you won't ever see it. Period. -austin -- Austin Ziegler * halostatue@gmail.com * Alternate: austin@halostatue.ca