Re: Math/udunits update

[Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost>]

Brook Milligan <brook%nmsu.edu@localhost> writes:

> Upstream says the following:
>
> - udunits1 will not likely have further development, but will remain available for download
> - new development will be limited to udunits2
> - there is a Fortran API that is limited to udunits1 (I’m not sure if there are plans for a similar API in udunits2)
> - the two version differ in their interpretation of “g”, i.e., gravity or grams
>
> Thus, I think we can expect that a udunits(1) upstream would not disappear, although it likely will not change.

But it is apparently unmaintained.  Upstream cannot have it both ways:
either they will be releasing new versions for portability and security
issues, or else it is abandoned and it is a bug in any package to use
udunits(1).  Maybe they don't understand that, but that's how it is.

So "disappear" is relative.  The question is: how long until it is not
that case that the latest release from any responsible upstream *needs*
the udunits1 version?

>> Do you think there would be any pain if you just update and revbump the
>> dependencies?
>
> I’m not sure what this means about whether or not to keep the
> udunits(1) package versus an upgrade.  If any require the Fortran API,
> the answer is obvious: keep both.  Likewise for 3rd party users, but I
> have no idea how to find that out.

I mean just upgrade the udunits package to 2, and don't worry about 1
(so that there is no 1 in pkgsrc).

How to find out?  The standard approach is easy:
1) check every package in pkgsrc that depends on it
2) send a note to pkgsrc-users saying you are going to update, and if
this is a problem, speak up.  wait a week for the crickets.
3) having found nothing in 1 and 2, update and don't worry.  deal if
anyone yells.

This may seem harsh, but the standard approach is to just follow
upstream, and to have multiple versions only when upstream is behaving
badly and there is a compelling need.

> I think the safe thing is likely to make a new udunits2 package and leave the other

safe for who, under what metric?  That makes things easier for
theoretical users that probably don't exist, at the cost of pain for
everybody.   Ask, and if no response, just upgrade, is my advice.