On Sun, Nov 13, 2022 at 02:01:50PM +0000, Reuben Thomas wrote: > Some other Debian packages build-depend on Debian's gnulib package. This > won't necessarily work for libpaper, because gnulib is not versioned: > libpaper depends on a specific commit of gnulib, and there are often bug > fixes or API changes.
I think bug fixes is something you'd want. API changes less so. Also note that gnulib is a piece that regularly faces portability issues (as it tries to provide portability). As such, it is particularly annoying for porters to not only have to fix gnulib, but then also have to get it updated in tons of downstreams. I stopped counting the number of bug reports "... ships a broken, outdated, embedded copy of gnulib" that I've sent. As a porter, I very much wish people wouldn't embed gnulib. This is just one argument from a very specific point of view. It does not invalidate your arguments. The final resolution of this question will remain an individual compromise. Helmut