Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Arbitrary version names

[Tom Lord]

    > From: Catalin Marinas <address@hidden>

    > On Tue, 2004-08-17 at 20:13, Tom Lord wrote:
    > > Now, to your specific example.    I gather that you want a
    > > "sub-version branch" added to the namespace.  So that instead of:

    > >         category[--branch]--version--revision

    > > names are:

    > >         category[--branch]--version[--version-branch]--revision

    > That's what I was looking for. As I explained, I am working on a
    > linux--arm--2.6 tree and need a way to tag it linux--arm--2.6.7--1
    > (usually with --seal) so that other people can refer to it, or branch
    > from it (I could find a way to use configs to allow branching). If a big
    > patch goes into the linux--arm--2.6, I would like to tag the --patch-X
    > to linux--arm--2.6.7--2.

Lot's of people would like that and I can reconcile myself to it just
fine by realizing that it is a very specific, one-time expansion of
the namespace in a particular direction that has been repeatedly
requested almost since day 1.  (Yes, I think that's where the bar for
namespace changes should be set --- they should be nearly impossible
and this particular one is a rare example of something that will be an
improvement.)

I note your email address and don't mean to read too much into it but,
if you aren't going to contribute this change yourself (and it's a
pretty serious even though easy change --- it's a non-trivial
commitment to shepard such a change into a release):

My sense is that many people want this feature and that you *might*
find some people who will work on it voluntarily either because they
themselves also want it or in order to "polish their chops" and
increase their recognition as a qualified arch hacker.

On the other hand, my sense is that there are also several people on
the list who, either as individual consultants or as representatives
of a larger organization, could add that feature for hire, and in
pretty short order too (given james' release cycle --- 1-3 months
would be my estimate).

(Disclaimer: I'm one of those who could help do or arrange this or
other work as work for hire.   I'm trying hard to talk about this
aspect of arch without advertising myself on this non-commercial list,
but I doubt I can do that perfectly.   The bottom line is that other
companies have happily hired from the arch community in the past and
some great and much valued development has happened that way --- so I
wanted to raise public awareness of the fact that, although the arch
industry is still very new, there are good deals to be had out there
(and not, by far, just from me).   Shop around a bit, following
gradients of "people who know what they're talking about" and it
shouldn't take long for anyone to make commercial contacts off-list.


    > I think this feature is only useful for a few people, 

I think you are mistaken.   People have clammered for it for years
now.   Yours is the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

It's an arbitrary weird thing, of course --- just another dimension
added to the namespace (making it 6-dimensional rather than 5): but
that's to be expected in a human-oriented cataloging system.

-t