From: Mark H Weaver <m...@netris.org> >To: Jose A. Ortega Ruiz <j...@gnu.org> >Cc: guile-devel@gnu.org >Sent: Monday, March 7, 2011 5:10 PM >Subject: Re: summer of code ideas > >>"Jose A. Ortega Ruiz" <j...@gnu.org> writes: >>> (use-modules (url://a-url.com library module #:optional a-rev-number)) >> >> FWIW, i think this is a bad idea. It intermingles two concerns that are >> othogonal, namely installing a package and using it. > >I very strongly agree with jao. Systems like this, e.g. Python Eggs, >have been a major headache for distributions to deal with. Debian >actually takes the time to disable this automatic downloading and >installing functionality from their Python packages, and I'm glad for >it. I am very security conscious, and the thought of software being >automatically installed "on-demand" from untrusted sources when I run a >program, or maybe even when I first use some particular functionality of >that program, is very disconcerting.
I think people are conflating 'an idea' with 'the idea' here. The call was for possible SOC ideas. At my work, we sometimes operate this way: field engineers use client programs that are rather like AJAX webapps. The head office updates a server. It works for us. I didn't suggest that for all time Guile must officially such a system. Sheesh. -Mike
