[Pkg-javascript-devel] Debian Javascript Policy

[Jérémy Lal]

On 15/10/2011 08:21, David Paleino wrote:
> Hello everybody,
> I started a first draft, based on the recent emails, of a 'Debian Javascript
> Policy'. I feel like it's missing lots of things though, so any help is much
> appreciated.
> 
> http://wiki.debian.org/Teams/pkg-javascript/Policy

Thank you a lot for this.

Remarks :

You added a ".js" suffix to the source name of a libjs-foo lib, this does not
follow current practice. Why wouldn't it be simply "foo" ? See below for another
proposal.

The part where you refer to how node libs (upstream call them modules) should be
"requireable" is better described in [1] or [2], please put a reference to it instead.

We still have to choose if using /usr/share/nodejs as a place to put native (i mean pure js)
node modules is a good idea. It certainly is not a bad one, but won't it disturb node users ?
They are used to find node modules in something like /usr/lib/node.

Suggestion :

I propose to follow python and ruby package naming conventions, which are simpler, and
in many cases just stick to the upstream name, see [3] but please answer here. Those
packaging teams are older and more experienced, and they certainly choosed those namings
for very good reasons. Some of them :
* libnode-foo is uglier than node-foo.
* node-foo is often the upstream name, no difference between source and binary package names.
* node-foo can contain an executable. Most packages can be used as libs (require'able),
  and some of them provide an executable wrapping them. They are often small, especially
  the executable, so providing two packages libnode-foo and foo is not justified. Then we end up
  with a libnode-foo package, containing an executable, which is confusing.
  I think that is the main reason for the ruby team to drop the "lib" prefix. (i'll take some time
  to dig through their mailing list, this move was made this summer).

This would imply renaming many existing javascript packages, so maybe we could restrict
the naming scheme to node only, instead of js and node.
  
Jérémy.



[1]
http://nodejs.org/docs/latest/api/modules.html#folders_as_Modules

[2]
/usr/share/doc/nodejs/api/modules.html#folders_as_Modules

[3]
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/pkg-javascript-devel/2011-September/001770.html