Subject: Re: New PostgreSQL
To: None <tech-pkg@netbsd.org>
From: Hubert Feyrer <hubert.feyrer@informatik.fh-regensburg.de>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 03/28/2001 05:36:01
On Tue, 27 Mar 2001, D'Arcy J.M. Cain wrote:
> I understand and I tend to agree with posts suggesting not to join them.
> However I hope everyone understands exactly what I was proposing.  If
> you simply add the "--with-python" flag to PostgreSQL it doesn't force
> you to install Python.  It does check and build PyGreSQL if it sees
> that Python is installed is all.  We don't need to make one a dependency
> of the other.  The assumption is that if one has Python and installs
> PostgreSQL then they probably want the Python interface to PostgreSQL.

Um, that's what we call a 'soft dependency' - pkg auto-detecting some
random other package, and acting non-deterministic based on that. This
results in PLIST inconsistencies, which lead to trouble with uninstalling
pkgs or creating/using binary packages. As a general rule of thumb, Don't
Go There. 

I think it'd still be best if we could add a core postgresql module, and
two language specific modules. (And no, I don't care if this compiles or
extracts the same source three times :-)


> However, I have self-centeredly not considered another possibility.  If
> someone has Python and PostgreSQL they may, in fact, not want PyGreSQL
> anyway but rather one of the other Python interfaces.

Indeed. 


 - Hubert

-- 
Hubert Feyrer <hubert.feyrer@informatik.fh-regensburg.de>