[Pkg-javascript-devel] packaging node applications in Debian

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Hi Florian and Jérémy,

On 11-10-04 at 01:49pm, Florian Brandes wrote:
> Am Dienstag, den 04.10.2011, 13:41 +0200 schrieb Jérémy Lal:
> > On 04/10/2011 13:28, Florian Brandes wrote:
> > > I looked at other libnode* packages and they appear to have less 
> > > (or none) dependencies. Packaging 12 packages for only one package 
> > > to work seems rather...cumbersome.
> > 
> > This is troublesome for me, too.
> > Hell, even npm itself has its dozen dependencies...
> > I feel there is something wrong with blindly making debian packages 
> > out of those.
> > 
> > I'm trying to find good arguments against that practice :
> > * too small packages - sometimes even only a few lines of code
> > * most of the time, only one dependency
> > * anyone can make a package in npm repository. Even if it's a package
> >   nobody but its author will ever use. There is no quality checks.

A package needing other code to work is not in itself an argument to 
seek shortcuts to ease packaging.

Florian only mentioned the number of dependent library, not if those 
dependencies were silly or lousy.

I agree that one-liner libraries are silly.  The proper approach there 
is to get in touch with upstream and discuss writing code lines instead 
of dependency lines.

I agree that lousy quality libraries should be avoided.  But a 
consequence of that is that packages depending on lousy libs should be 
avoided too - insane to then pull in the lousy libs with npm!!!


> Would it make sense for normal Debian (Ubuntu) users to have and 
> install node packages? If so, would maybe a GUI to npm do the job?

Depends on how do you define "the job".

If a package does not contain all runtime code but at install time needs 
to go online (by use of npm) to fetch some parts, then that package may 
technically be a .deb package but cannot be part of Debian.

If "the job" is just to make a system work however possible, then sure - 
installing Windows might do "the job" or bypassing the APT packaging 
system and use npm instead might, or creating an ugly .deb package to 
mix APT with npm might.  And you can call that "debianize" if you want, 
but you will run into trouble discussing with e.g. me, as I assume 
"debianize" is used to refer to doing things "the Debian way" which it 
is not when using npm.


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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