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Michael Cummings wrote: |
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|
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> On Wed, Jun 11, 2003 at 11:37:02AM +0100, MooktaKiNG wrote: |
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>> Another good reason to have a README is becuase sometimes people |
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>> want to know more about a program. Without having to install it. |
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>> |
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>> If they can learn about the program before they install. They are |
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>> more aware of how hard/easy the installtion is. |
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> |
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> I thought that was one of the reasons the source URL shows up in a |
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> search. It's how I've always checked to see what a package does. |
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> README files, imo, are great in theory but put additional |
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> maintenance strain on a dev. Just my two euros, |
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> |
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> Mike |
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|
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As I see the original proposal, it was to give users essential |
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post-install information regarding any further steps they need to |
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take. This kind of information is different from pre-emerge info |
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that a user uses to decide the desirability of a package. |
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|
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Pre-emerge info |
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--------------- |
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Still, a small README could be valuable in some situations. For |
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example: "This package is included in portage for backwards |
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compatability for systems that have to interoperate with |
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MegaCruft's General Ledger FPS. If you don't have to do this you |
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may wish to consider <KDE-alternate> or <GNOME-alternate>. They |
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provide the same features within a modern UI, don't hog the CPU, |
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and don't require you to do manual post-emerge steps. And BTW, the |
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official site is a pathetic mass of marketing-speak, go to the |
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user-group page at <URL> instead." This shouldn't be too much of a |
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dev burden if it's optional and intended to communicate info that |
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wouldn't be found on an official web page. |
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|
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A pre-emerge README feature runs the risk of encouraging |
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editorializing (as above :-), but hey, as long as its kept |
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reasonable that's part of the fun. |
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|
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Post-emerge info |
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---------------- |
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I'm all for it. My wish list: append each package's message to a |
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file named something like "emerge_messages_<timestamp>". These |
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would be stored in a standard location relative to the user running |
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emerge. At the end of the emerge, if the file is empty portage |
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deletes it and no mention is made of it. If the file is nonempty, |
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portage displays a standard message directing the user to read it. |
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|
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Two new emerge commands: 'einfomsg' to write a string to the message |
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file; 'einfocat' to cat a file to it. |
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|
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Messages written to the file should be no more than ~25 lines of |
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text each, with some standard header (e.g., line of dashes, ebuild |
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name, line of dashes). If 25 lines isn't enough room, the message |
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should direct the user to more instructions in |
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/usr/share/doc/<package>. |
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|
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--Dwight Tuinstra |
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-- |
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