[Fedora-packaging] Proposal to reduce anti-bundling requirements

[Simo Sorce]

On Thu, 2015-09-10 at 12:39 -0500, Jason L Tibbitts III wrote:
> >>>>> "MM" == Matthew Miller <mattdm at fedoraproject.org> writes:
> 
> MM> That said, I do recognize that "provides high-quality packages" has
> MM> also always been an underlying Fedora value even if unstated. But, I
> MM> think that _that_ value should be in support of the Big Four, and in
> MM> support of our mission in general, not a sacred beast for its own
> MM> sake.
> 
> Well, for the FPC, high quality packaging is pretty much our only
> mission.  I'm trying to avoid veering off into hyperbole here, but if we
> can't be focused on our specific mission then that kind of complicates
> our job.
> 
> But if FESCo or the board or whoever wants to say that we no longer
> really care about bundling, then FPC will stop caring.  Right now we've
> been told to care about bundling and so we developed all of this process
> and rules to implement that directive.

Hi Jason,
I have the impression (which may be totally wrong) that you are taking
the binary approach here: either we care maximally or we do not care at
all.

It seem to me Stephen is making a proposal to tweak just one specific
aspect of packaging rule, that is a softer enforcement model. FPC still
has a truckload other good rules about packaging and nobody believes FPC
should stop caring about overall package quality.

I have mixed opinions myself about allowing bundling, on the one side it
makes some things worse, on the other hand, however it is sometimes a
way too step barrier to entrance. I've come to the conclusion I'd rather
see a softer approach with strong encouragement to use unbundled
libraries and a need to justify credibly why a bundled library is used
but not a hard rule against it in all cases with hard exceptions to be
doled out by the FPC, I think package review should be able to handle
it.
This risks making somewhat harder to police egregious mis-behavior, but
I am sure there are other ways to deal with offenders that willfully
break reasonable rules.

HTH,
Simo.


-- 
Simo Sorce * Red Hat, Inc * New York