GnuTLS updates proposal (was: bug#14380: 24.3; `network-stream-open-tls' fails in some imap servers on w32)

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 15:51:08 -0400 Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> wrote: 

>> those can be compromised too).  But we should at least make an effort to
>> tell the user they are out of date, even if we do nothing more.
SM> [...]
JB> I agree with Eli that installing GnuTLS from a zip file is easy enough.
>> OK, 2 votes against and 1 in favor.

SM> I haven't read this thread, so if you want my opinion, please explain
SM> concisely what it's about (e.g. in which circumstance should we tell
SM> the user (s)he's out of date).

Generally library updates are announced on specialized lists that users
don't follow and a developer picks it up and pushes it out to the users.

I am proposing that GnuTLS updates should be pushed out this way (which
would also cover installation, so the user doesn't have to get it from a
ZIP file on W32 or from God knows where on Mac OS X...  Homebrew or Fink
or something else) instead of putting that responsibility on the user.

We could use the GNU ELPA as the transport (once it has package
signing).  I can be responsible for following the GnuTLS announcements.

This is not typical for Emacs so I've brought it up for discussion
instead of just doing the work.

So far Eli and Juanma are against my proposal.

Ted