Subject: Re: PKG: ncurses status
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Greg A. Woods <woods@kuma.web.net>
List: current-users
Date: 12/17/1997 14:08:13
[ On Wed, December 17, 1997 at 18:31:16 (+0000), Alan Barrett wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: PKG: ncurses status
>

.... To continue on with the remaining point that I missed earlier:

> (The "distfile" is the unpatched stuff from the original author;
> typically a tarball.  The "package" is the ready-to-install package;
> typically a *.tgz file containing binaries and man pages.  AFAIK, the
> stuff in the pkgsrc tree is never restricted by any of the above three
> mechanisms.)

Since at the moment NetBSD's pkgsrc tree doesn't include the distfiles,
and indeed NetBSD itself doesn't even produce CD-ROMs, these
distribution control flags don't really have any meaning.  It would
probably be nice if they were supported and maintained on behalf of
those who do want to ship distfiles and binaries, but it's not
necessary.

Which brings me back to ncurses again....  Since NetBSD doesn't directly
distribute the ncurses source distribution, and since so far as I know
the copyright on ncurses doesn't (and effectively can not) restrict
distribution of minor patches to that source, why wasn't it left in the
pkgsrc tree?

(The only reason I harp on about this is I mostly detest the original
BSD curses, even with the many improvements added by NetBSD, and I'd
rather have something better easily available, and until a suitable
arrangement is negotiated to allow ncurses or something even better to
be integrated directly into the NetBSD source tree, ncurses in pkgsrc is
by far better than nothing.)

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 443-1734			VE3TCP			robohack!woods
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets Of The Weird <woods@weird.com>