From: Todd Zullinger Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2018 05:09:10 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH 3/8] perl: generalize the Git::LoadCPAN facility Message-ID: <20180215050909.GD27038@zaya.teonanacatl.net> In-Reply-To: <20180214225754.GC136185@aiede.svl.corp.google.com> Hi Jonathan, Jonathan Nieder wrote: > Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason wrote: > [...] >> +++ b/perl/Git/LoadCPAN.pm >> @@ -0,0 +1,74 @@ > [...] >> +The Perl code in Git depends on some modules from the CPAN, but we >> +don't want to make those a hard requirement for anyone building from >> +source. > > not about this patch: have we considered making it a hard requirement? > Both Mail::Address and Error.pm are pretty widely available, and I > wonder if we could make the instructions in the INSTALL file say that > they are required dependencies to simplify things. > > I admit part of my bias here is coming from the distro world, where we > have to do extra work to get rid of the FromCPAN embedded copies and > would be happier not to have to. Heh, a similar bias is what led me to suggest a Makefile knob to prevent installing the fallbacks. I neglected to add you to the Cc list on that reply. But I was thinking of Debian and other distributions whom I know would similarly want to exclude Git/FromCPAN from their git packages. I know it's a simple rm, but it might as well be a simple rm in one place than spread across each package. :) It may still be worth considering whether it's reasonable to make Mail::Address and Error.pm hard requirements, but I'm not sure if there are any platforms where such a requirement would be a pain. If there are folks here who are happy to maintain this fallback method, then a simple Makefile knob gives us the best of both worlds. -- Todd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Historian, n. A broad-gauge gossip. -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"