You read that subject right, I want discussion about and I intend to
package libreadline4, even though we have libreadline2 already... Pull on
your asbestos underwear people, it could get warm in here. =>
The version of readline included with bash is now old enough to be called
ancient. The current version (4.0) includes many changes, a couple of
them not totally backwards compatible.
HOWEVER, readline2 and g++ do not currently get along well at all. Since
I see no intention on the part of the bash maintainers (be they Debian or
upstream) to move the readline included with bash to 4.0 (2.2 isn't broke
as far as bash is concerned, why introduce major changes that could break
it?) I would like to package libreadline4.
My primary reason for packaging it is that I have to fall back to using
extern "C" { ... } and other evil tricks in order to get readline to work
at all in C++ code. While I *could* support that, I suspect my C++
instructor would strangle me[1] for turning in something with #ifdef's
plastered all over the place to make a C++ program work with an otherwise
incompatible piece of C code in a C++ class. Or worse, it could affect my
grade or something (eep!)
I think we have an obligation to provide readline4 as an option at least
if for no other reason than to make it available to people writing C++
code[2] who otherwise must resort to evil things... I spent more than an
hour figuring out why readline didn't work in C++ for an otherwise 5
minute assignment only to find I had to pull the code out because it was
too messy to use[3], agh!
Okay, where's the first accusation of package hijacking? => I'll take
you all on! Yeah, I ain't scared of ya's! Are ya's yellah or sumthin?[4]
[1] I sure hope he has a good sense of humor this ${TIMEOFDAY} ...
[2] ie, ME! I guess if you ask IWJ I'm now a "C++ weenie", I actually
like it so far as long as the code is kept relatively clean.
[3] A few people saw what I had this afternoon, it got worse. =<
[4] I'll say it for you: "Go to bed Kb." And I'm going, before this
email gets REALLY silly.
--
Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org> Debian GNU/Linux developer
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<Knghtbrd> RoboHak - okay, the patch isn't broken, but my brain
apparently is
<wc> that's nothing new (;
<Knghtbrd> wc - hush.
<Knghtbrd> =>
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