Online Developer Meeting (2020-11-10): Difference between revisions

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Announce next meeting.
(Announce next meeting.)
 
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* Website looks great.
* Website looks great.
* No major updates (necessary) since 2018 http://hg.code.sf.net/p/octave/project-web
* No major updates (necessary) since 2018 http://hg.code.sf.net/p/octave/project-web
* Useful [https://octave.sourceforge.io/docs.php Function List]. '''How to update this {{bug|53860}}?'''
* Useful [https://octave.sourceforge.io/docs.php Function List]. '''How to update this {{bug|53860}}?''' Maybe "generate_html" package.
* Original developer (Oliver) no longer active.
* Original developer (Oliver) no longer active.
* Adding and updating packages here is expensive/dangerous
* Adding and updating packages here is expensive/dangerous
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When reporting an Octave (core) bug on https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=octave you are "greeted" with '''1523 open bug reports''' of which [https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=octave&func=browse&set=custom&msort=0&status_id=1&resolution_id=0&submitted_by=0&assigned_to=0&category_id=108&bug_group_id=0&severity=0&priority=0&summary=&details=&advsrch=0&msort=0&chunksz=100&spamscore=5&report_id=101&sumORdet=0&morder=bug_id%3C&sumOrdet=0&offset=0#results '''330 reports (22%)'''] belong to Octave Forge packages and '''240 (15%) are older than a year'''.
When reporting an Octave (core) bug on https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=octave you are "greeted" with '''1523 open bug reports''' of which [https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=octave&func=browse&set=custom&msort=0&status_id=1&resolution_id=0&submitted_by=0&assigned_to=0&category_id=108&bug_group_id=0&severity=0&priority=0&summary=&details=&advsrch=0&msort=0&chunksz=100&spamscore=5&report_id=101&sumORdet=0&morder=bug_id%3C&sumOrdet=0&offset=0#results '''330 reports (22%)'''] belong to Octave Forge packages and '''240 (15%) are older than a year'''.


* They are not likely to be closed or worked on and leave a maintenance burden and bad impression (user requests for unmaintained packages are ignored there) back to Octave (core).
* They are not likely to be closed or worked on and leave a maintenance burden and bad impression (user requests for unmaintained packages are ignored there) back to Octave (core).  A recent example of such user frustration {{bug|60048}}.


Ideas:
<strike>Ideas:


* Ignore and collect requests to infinity?
* Ignore and collect requests to infinity?
* Close bugs of inactive packages older than X years?  (Drop the illusion, that someone ever will fix it.)
* Close bugs of inactive packages older than X years?  (Drop the illusion, that someone ever will fix it.)
* Octave Forge suggests to [https://octave.sourceforge.io/support-help.php use the Savannah Bug tracker] for bug reports.  Drop this announcement?
* Octave Forge suggests to [https://octave.sourceforge.io/support-help.php use the Savannah Bug tracker] for bug reports.  Drop this announcement?
* Reopen the [https://sourceforge.net/p/octave/bugs/ old Octave Forge bug tracker]?
* Reopen the [https://sourceforge.net/p/octave/bugs/ old Octave Forge bug tracker]?</strike> (see below)


===== MXE-Octave =====
===== MXE-Octave =====


* The MS Windows installer [[Octave for Microsoft Windows#Packages|bundles 47]] Octave packages.
* The MS Windows installer [[Octave for Microsoft Windows#Packages|bundles 47]] Octave packages.
* Are there criteria for including packages in the Windows installer? '''No.'''
* Forced updates to the packages? '''No.'''
* Make criterion to drop package from installer if it no longer compiles "normally" (document somewhere)? Depends on decision of mxe-octave.
* Document how to request package inclusion in the MS Windows installer (open bug report, Discourse, manual)? wiki
* About 26 patches necessary to achieve this.
* About 26 patches necessary to achieve this.


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  of-tisean-1-fixes.patch
  of-tisean-1-fixes.patch
  of-video-1-fixes.patch
  of-video-1-fixes.patch
* Forced updates to the packages?
* Make criterion to drop package from installer if it no longer compiles "normally" (document somewhere)?
* Document how to request package inclusion in the MS Windows installer (open bug report, Discourse, manual)?


==== New directions ====
==== New directions ====
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* Super set of Octave Forge (all packages in latest version included)
* Super set of Octave Forge (all packages in latest version included)
* Easy to add, update and delete entries (just one file of meta data)
* Easy to add, update and delete entries (just one file of meta data)
* Advertise pkg-index as (only) major platform for Octave packages?
* Advertise pkg-index as (only) major platform for Octave packages? '''Not exclusive, but stronger highlight approach.'''


* Future development:
* Future development:
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* Alternatives exist [https://github.com/apjanke/octave-packajoozle octave-packajoozle (pkj)]
* Alternatives exist [https://github.com/apjanke/octave-packajoozle octave-packajoozle (pkj)]


* General design: '''Making pkg an Octave package?'''
* General design: '''Making pkg an Octave package?''' (see below)
** Changes to pkg or the package format can be applied to old Octave versions.
** Changes to pkg or the package format can be applied to old Octave versions.
** Multiple pkg tools can be developed.
** Multiple pkg tools can be developed.
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* Documented [https://octave.org/doc/v5.2.0/Creating-Packages.html in the Octave manual]
* Documented [https://octave.org/doc/v5.2.0/Creating-Packages.html in the Octave manual]
* In general good Octave programming project organization.
* In general good Octave programming project organization.
* Permitting "DESCRIPTION.md" or "DESCRIPTION.txt" extensions? (Nice highlighting in many modern source code hosting platforms.)
* Permitting "DESCRIPTION.md" or "DESCRIPTION.txt" extensions? (Nice highlighting in many modern source code hosting platforms.) '''Not decided.'''


=== General questions, open talk ===
=== General questions, open talk ===
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* Where to host package documentation?
* Where to host package documentation?
** doc folder, wiki, in the repo itself (pkg-example README.md)?
** doc folder, wiki, in the repo itself (pkg-example README.md)?
=== Some outcomes of the meeting ===
* The responsibility for a package is with the maintainer, not Octave (core).
** Okay to continue the use of Savannah for current Octave Forge packages, but not for pkg-index.
* pkg-index
** How to treat malicious code/packages?  User reports, package removal.  Depending on the actual case.
* pkg tool as package
** If synchronized with Octave core, no usage of "if version ... else ..." code. (edit: I can't remember if we decided that this was a no-go. Just something that might be worth considering... -- [[User:Mmuetzel|Mmuetzel]] ([[User talk:Mmuetzel|talk]]))
** Watch out for problems with encodings (treated differently in older Octave versions) (edit: I'm no longer sure this is the case. I might have been thinking of `test` instead of `pkg`. I'm sorry for any confusion that might have caused. -- [[User:Mmuetzel|Mmuetzel]] ([[User talk:Mmuetzel|talk]]))
** Treatment of <code>pkg install -forge</code> if package moved away from Octave Forge
* documentation
** mxe-octave: necessary steps to include a package
*** only necessary if depending on external library, otherwise should install properly


== Ideas for next meeting ==
== Ideas for next meeting ==
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== See also ==
== See also ==


* Next meeting: TBA
* Next meeting: [[Online Developer Meeting (2021-03-23)]]
* Last meeting: [[Online Developer Meeting (2020-10-27)]]
* Last meeting: [[Online Developer Meeting (2020-10-27)]]


[[Category:2020]]
[[Category:2020]]
[[Category:Meetings]]
[[Category:Meetings]]

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