
Hi Peter,
2011/6/26 Peter Simons
> 1) In order to test for broken packages, do I really need to use the > makeworld script? I think it would take too much time!
Unfortunately, distributing Haskell packages is a fairly complicated affair, mostly because these packages interact with each other in complex ways. Some problems can be caught without running a test build, but not all of them. My experience is that running 'makeworld' is the only way to be sure that the repository is in a consistent state.
It seems to me that you're speaking about core packages, needed by many others. I think that these packages should be in the repository, others don't interact much: a web framework with a game, for example. My main fear is spending time in compiling, not the builing process itself.
> 2) Past discussions suggest me that the group is centred on a small > number of packages to put in a binary repository. It's wonderful to > have this, but it takes a very long time. What do you think if some > people concentrate in the simplest and fastest task of preparing > PKGBUILDs and put them in a place (i.e. AUR) where the core group > decide witch package worth an inclusion in the repo?
It is possible to update packages on AUR without building them first. So, yes, we could split this effort into one that updates AUR and one that maintains the binary repository. Past experience suggests, though, that packages that are being published without being built first tend to be very unreliable. This means that users will run into build problems, and then they'll complain on AUR or on this list -- and rightfully so! Dealing with those issues, however, is a lot of effort. I'm not sure whether publishing untested PKGBUILDs is going to be very helpful for the general user base.
I wrote very badly what I was thinking: you're perfectly right: packages must be tested. Before updating AUR I would compile the needed dependencies and only that, faster then makeword (that remember me the old bad times with Gentoo :-) ).
> 3) For Peter: could you please give some help information on how to > use the scripts in > https://github.com/peti/arch-haskell/tree/master/scripts ?
I'll try to describe my work-flow briefly: [...]
The work flow can feet, but know you and me have a compiled repo, hopefully the same. Still someone (I assume you) has to copy it to the [Haskell] repo server and update the AUR. Unless this work is totally automated, it sound like a bad bottle-neck, but I have to understand more of you procedure, I hope I'm very wrong on this.
> 4) Why haskell packages in extra depends on ghc-7.0.3 (still in testing)?
There is an update of GHC available in [testing], and unfortunately some packages have been published that were built with that newer GHC version before GHC itself is available. In short, Haskell support is currently broken in ArchLinux. Unfortunately, these things happen, but it's most probably going to be remedied soon.
That's bad. Now pacman tells me that ghc-7.0.3 is here. So ALL haskell repository must be recompiled, isn't it? If I use your "push" script and add +1 to pkgrel is ok? Maybe it's better if I wait a little. It's a shame, because now I have some time to spend... Well, I'll try your method it, I only need to understand things. Bye Fabio