[bug #66660] [octave-forge] (geometry) Octave /Geometry Install Errors

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Follow-up Comment #8, bug #66660 (group octave):

Well, it's not quite as bad as you seem to fear.  There's a lot to say about
add-on packages, but the most important aspect is probably this:
The Octave language and APIs are fairly stable and backward compatible for
many years, so you can expect that packages, and actually most importantly:
user code, will keep on working for a long time.

And yes, packages are separate from the core Octave project; their support is
often depending on just one or a few maintainers that usually are not core
Octave developers; and releases are not necessarily in sync.  But I believe
that in practice, core Octave usage can't do without several specific
packages, so there isn't a one-way relation.

If not maintained for a considerable time (think of many years), packages
might start to slowly "fade away", rather than abruptly stop functioning at
some random point in time.  Yet bugs in packages that receive little or no
maintenance very often do get fixes or suggested fixes, as long as those bugs
are reported.  So indeed, "the group" usually supplies support if a package is
abandoned.  This very bug report is a fine example.  And abandoned packages
that are relatively widely used often get a new maintainer.
The weak part however is that new releases sometimes linger on and on ...

Mind you, this situation is not uncommon for many FOSS projects.  Don't get
put off by it and simply enjoy using Octave and packages.


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