On 12/8/2009 3:25 PM, Martin P. Hellwig wrote:
Ben Finney wrote:
"Martin P. Hellwig" <martin.hell...@dcuktec.org> writes:
<cut>
Along with the duplication this introduces, it also means that any bug
fixes — even severe security fixes — in the third-party code will not be
addressed in your duplicate.
<cut>
I disagree, what you need is:
- An automated build system for your deliveries, something you should
have anyway
- An method of tracking versions of your dependencies, again something
you should have anyway
- And a policy that you incorporate bug fixes from your dependencies in
your deliveries, something you should do anyway if you are serious about
your product.
I disagree, what you should have is an Operating System with a package
management system that addresses those issues. The package management
must update your software and your dependencies, and keep track of
incompatibilities between you and your dependencies.
The package management systems have in many popular Linux distro is
close to it. The point is, those issues should not be your issue in the
first place; the OS is the one in charge of coordination between
multiple software (or else why would we have an OS for?).
In the Windows\b\b\b\b\b\b\b Real world, some OS let off *their
responsibility* and told their users to manage dependency by their own.
Obviously most users don't have the knowledge to do so, and the undue
burden then goes to software developers. A software ideally shouldn't
need to care about how the machine is configured ("Separation of Concern").
I never liked the idea of each software to have its own software
updater, they are sign of bloated software. There should ideally be one
software updater in the system ("Don't Repeat Yourself"). Many automatic
updater by big companies is configured to run on computer startup and
doesn't shutdown without an order from the Task Manager. They then
reinstall their autorun entry in the registry when the user deletes
them, trying to outsmart the user since they think the user is just
ain't smart enough.
In my Windows computer, the only software I give my blessing to
auto-update is the antivirus; anything else just bloats the system. A
good-behaviored software would just notify me about update (e.g.
OpenOffice and Pidgin), and even then only when I'm using the software
(not every time you open your computer).
I'm glad I don't have such chaos when using my Gentoo or Ubuntu, the
system software updater handles all those just fine.
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