Re: djblinux/djbos/"D. J. Bix"

Stefan Karrmann <[email protected]> wrote:
> A /package-OS should be autarchic. It should not rely on old standards, IMHO.

Not all old ideas are bad.  Even when they are bad, it does not follow
that vetting them is beneficial; the required effort may outweigh the
benefit.  There's no point in gratuitous incompatibility.

> E.g. every bourne shell has `if' but not necessarily functions,
> c.f. autoconf.  Non-common features should be labeled as obsolete
> and non-deterministic with respect to different implementations.

The lack of shell functions is an old feature.  By your first
statement, we should disregard it.  I use shell functions in my build
scripts, and haven't received any complaints.  Your definition of
"obsolete" is exactly backwards - you discourage new functionality in
favor of old limitations.

Some old ideas do more good than harm; others, the opposite.  Some are
easy to replace; others are hard.  It's silly to categorically reject
them all, or to design new software to run on ancient, unused systems.
The problem of extracting the most benefit from the least effort is
more complex than that; a simplistic answer is a wrong answer.


paul