pdf toolchain notes & suggestions

[Dave Pawson]

On Tue, 2004-09-28 at 21:06, Dalibor Topic wrote:

> > Sun provide Java. Lets use it.
> 
> FOP is free software. GNU/Linux is free software. There is no need 
> to use a non-free wedge in between if equivalent[1] free software 
> replacements exist. :)
I guessed Karsten was assuming an else, rather than the if above?

> > What's your definition of a bug in this context?
> 
> A bug in the shipped bytecode introduced by a bug in a non-free compiler,
> obviously. You can fix the free software ones, but you can't fix the 
> non-free ones. A cursory glance over the fixed bugs list of the JDK 
> 1.4.2[3] suffices to show that Sun keeps finding and fixing bugs in 
> their compiler. 

So... in order to use fop, we need to go hunting for bugs in
alternatives to Sun's java?

Not report it to the fop group?

> 
> Relying on proprietary software for the toolchain puts a free software
> distributor at the disadvantage of not being able to fix the bugs 
> themselves. They end up being at the mercy of the proprietary vendor.
> 
> > Any reason we shouldn't support fop by feeding back to them?
> 
> I don't see how using gcj would prevent feeding back to fop. Would you care
> to elaborate?
Just trying to put the focus where it seems to me, to belong.


> 
> > > As hard as it may be to start, having a completely free toolchain will
> > > be blessing.
> > 
> > To whom?
> 
> To everyone, obviously. Including Sun.[4]
Certainly not obvious to me.
  

> 
> Given that Sun does not certify JDK on Fedora, what's the point in going 
> out of one's ways in order to support it?
Now that's where we differ. I'd say chasing alts to Sun java was
'going out of ones way', but never mind.

I'm beginning to feel I don't fit with this logic.
-- 
Regards DaveP.
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