Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com; run by ezmlm List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner AT sources DOT redhat DOT com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT sources DOT redhat DOT com Message-ID: <17B78BDF120BD411B70100500422FC6309E329@IIS000> From: Bernard Dautrevaux To: "'Charles Wilson'" , cygwin AT cygwin DOT com Subject: RE: On Cygwin package naming and a setup.exe bug Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 20:15:00 +0200 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > -----Original Message----- > From: Charles Wilson [mailto:cwilson AT ece DOT gatech DOT edu] > Sent: Monday, August 27, 2001 7:53 PM > To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com > Subject: Re: On Cygwin package naming and a setup.exe bug > > > Christopher Faylor wrote: > > > "Why are you giving me a hard time! I'm a free software > project!". Yes, > > we hear this from time to time. The GPL is a legal binding > document. > > If you want to use it, you should be in compliance with it. > You don't > > get to ignore it because you consider yourself "one of the > good guys". > > It would be nice if life worked that way, but it doesn't. > > > Yep. There ain't no sech thing as a "good guys get-out-of-jail-free" > clause in the GPL. > Yeah, I agree, but in all places I know everyone, especially someone without a police record, is presumed innocent... > > > It apparently isn't clear to you that "Cygwin's own > installation tools" > > were meant to install, um, the cygwin packages from the > cygwin web site > > and mirrors. They don't have accomodations for using other > web sites or > > being bundled as part of a larger package. That is what I > was saying > > above. > > > But remember, setup is open source. You can grab the sources, modify > them to your heart's content, and distribute THAT version of setup to > install your cygwin-based add-on packages. (or just name > your package > "prc-tools-cygwin-.tar.gz") What I've read in the original posting was a discussion of how setup could be enhaced to allow installation of unofficial cygwin packages, TOGETHER WITH A PATCH and almost a firm commitment to rework it if it proves unacceptable. I've heard so much answer in the line of "Please provide a patch" for proposal of enhancements to setup.exe (and I perfectly understand that) that I was a bit bitten by the answer done to a proposal that was carefully explained and supplemented by a patch, which was in the line of "We have not expected you to use setup.exe for anything else than for what we design it, so your proposal was not interesting". > > BTW, XEmacs did exactly this: they're using a *heavily* modified > version of cygwin's setup for distributing both the cygwin- > and native- > versions of XEmacs (they also have other "shrink-wrap" style > installers > for the native XEmacs). Yes, but this is a bit different: They use a modified "setup" program to install XEmacs *everywhere*. The *everywhere* mandates adapting a cygwin-only installer. But using it to install, on a pre-existing cygwin installation, a new cygwin package (amthough an unofficial one) seems to be an use for which setup.exe should be *recommended*, not disdainfully rejected by saying, "Sorry, I do not think you should do that". Please let me be clear: I understand all of you when you answer "requests for enhancement" by a "why don't you do it yourself: setup is open source". But rebuffing someone that *offers* to do the job, and even propose a first possible patch, by just saying "setup was not expected to be used that way" is a bit brutal. Regards, Bernard -------------------------------------------- Bernard Dautrevaux Microprocess Ingenierie 97 bis, rue de Colombes 92400 COURBEVOIE FRANCE Tel: +33 (0) 1 47 68 80 80 Fax: +33 (0) 1 47 88 97 85 e-mail: dautrevaux AT microprocess DOT com b DOT dautrevaux AT usa DOT net -------------------------------------------- -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Bug reporting: http://cygwin.com/bugs.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/