Re: [patch] espeak server should not install .so file in /usr/share/emacs

["Tim Cross" <tcross@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

jason, you beat me to it! I also agree. The main point I was going to make is
that I think in the case of a distro specific package i.e. rpm, deb, etc, it
is the responsability of the package maintainer to decide where the files
belong. While there has been considerable standardisation in this area,
different distributions still have their own preferences. If we were to
change the layout for one, we could be incompatible for another. 

Possibly the only thing we really need to do is make sure there are no hard
coded location dependencies in the sources and maybe support a way, such as
via environment variables or emacs custom variables, which would make it easy
for package maintainers to put things in their own preferred location. As far
as I'm aware, I think this is largely already the case.

Of course the downside of this position is that it may result in fewer distros
having packaged versions of emacspeak. I'm a little divided on whether this is
a real issue or not. Emacspeak is a relatively small and easy to install
application which can run from any installation location. Having to install it
from svn or a tar snapshot is easy and there is an argument that doing so
helps users understand how it all fits together and puts them in a better
position to troubleshoot problems. I also think that the rate at which Raman
enhances the system is far too high for any packaged versions to keep up, so
the packaged versions tend to be a fair bit older than the latest stable
release and a lot older than the current svn version. On the downside, it does
mean that anyone wanting to use emacspeak will need to be prepared to deal
with the installation and while not difficult, there are many who are just put
off by such requirements. Personally, I don't see this as a major issue.

Tim

Like jason, I also run emacspeak from a directory under my home dir. I never
install it in /usr or /usr/local. This is mainly because I maintain two
repositories and switch between them. This allows me to do an svn update and
if it should happen to be broken in some way, I can just switch to the other
working version and then either try to fix the problem in the latest version
or wait until it is fixed in svn. 

Tim


Jason White writes:
 > T.V. Raman <tv.raman.tv@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 > > I  am not yet comfortable in putting files from emacspeak across
 > > diferent parts of the file system -- it   makes cleaning up after
 > > a mess. 
 > 
 > I don't want to start a debate here, but I would like to express my agreement
 > with Raman on this point.
 > 
 > The major exception is where a package management system is tracking all of
 > those files and holds the responsibility for their subsequent removal, but in
 > that case, deciding where files belong in the hierarchy is the task of the
 > package maintainer, guided by the policies of the operating system
 > distribution.
 > 
 > I've wasted too much time cleaning up the results of "make install", and these
 > days I install from packages as a matter of preference. Emacspeak is under
 > $HOME anyway, in my case.
 > 
 > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 > To unsubscribe from the emacspeak list or change your address on the
 > emacspeak list send mail to "emacspeak-request@xxxxxxxxxxx" with a
 > subject of "unsubscribe" or "help".
 > 

-- 
Tim Cross
tcross@xxxxxxxxxxx

There are two types of people in IT - those who do not manage what they 
understand and those who do not understand what they manage.
-- 
Tim Cross
tcross@xxxxxxxxxxx

There are two types of people in IT - those who do not manage what they 
understand and those who do not understand what they manage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the emacspeak list or change your address on the
emacspeak list send mail to "emacspeak-request@xxxxxxxxxxx" with a
subject of "unsubscribe" or "help".