>>>>> "Laurent" == Laurent Martelli <martelli@iie.cnam.fr> writes: Laurent> I suggest that package classification be made out of Laurent> packages, because there's no Laurent> _one_true_classification_. If the package's Laurent> classification is stored in the package, we have to Laurent> change all the packages when we change the Laurent> classification. Perhaps each package could declare a set of "tags" that indicate where in the classification it wants to appear, along with a "tags version" that indicates which version of the classification scheme (or schemes) it complies with. So the package python-netcdf, to take a random example, might declare something like: # The standard, official tag scheme. Scheme name and version. Tag-Scheme: debian 1.0 # Tags would identify the scheme name and value. # It contains a library for Python... Tag: debian languages/python/libraries # And it can read and write netcdf format. Tag: debian files/formats/readers/netcdf Tag: debian files/formats/writers/netcdf And pgplot5 (also chosen at random) might declare something like: # The standard, official tag scheme. Tag-Scheme: debian 1.0 # The purely voluntary, flamewar inducing tag scheme for indicating why a # non-free package is in non-free. Tag-Scheme: non-free 1.0 # It contains C and Fortran libraries... Tag: debian languages/c/libraries Tag: debian languages/fortran/libraries # And can do these kinds of graphs. Tag: debian graphics/plotting/2d Tag: debian graphics/plotting/3d Tag: debian graphics/plotting/contour # Oh, and it violates clause 1.2.3 of DFSG 1.0. # (Not really. I don't know why it's in non-free.) Tag: non-free dfsg-violation/1.0/1.2.3 (Please don't start a huge thread about whether it's a good idea or not to indicate in a more detailed way the reason for packages being in non-free or non-US; just note that this mechanism would provide a purely voluntary way of doing it.) Laurent> I think it'd be really nice to have an external index so Laurent> that different people can sort packages in different Laurent> ways. Given tools that support this kind of classification scheme, it would be comparatively simple to make them look elsewhere for sets of tags that are distributed separately from the packages proper. Any user could distribute sets of tags, or modifications to the packages' tags, that any other user could use if they felt like it. "Hey, Joe Newbie, use Joe Old-timer's package file at http://blah.blah.blah... it's really helpful." "No, use Mr. So-and-so's at http://yadda.yadda.yadda." And, this would open up a whole new arena for religious debates about which classification scheme is best. That's got to be good. (By the way, thanks for a great Linux distribution. I'd be signed up as a maintainer already, but every time I find a piece of software I want or need, somebody has already packaged it!) -- I get my monkeys for nothing and my chimps for free. http://www.clark.net/pub/hermit/
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