[Pkg-javascript-devel] parallel installation

[Hubert Chathi]

On Mon, 21 Aug 2017 18:03:02 +0200, Ross Gammon <javascript at the-gammons.net> said:

> Anyway - if we instead separately packaged a different version of a
> node module, where would it be installed? Do we have to patch all
> reverse dependencies of the module so it uses the right version at
> runtime (when both versions might be installed), or can we rely on
> some PATH trickery?

That's what I was trying to get opinions on in my original message.  I
think the sanest method is to use symlinks within the node_modules
directory.  So, for example, if foo (which is in /usr/lib/nodejs/foo)
uses bar API version 2 (which is in /usr/lib/nodejs/bar2), then
/usr/lib/nodejs/foo/node_modules/bar would be a symlink to
/usr/lib/nodejs/bar2.  Then when foo does a "require("bar");" then Node
will find /usr/lib/nodejs/foo/node_modules/bar, follow the symlink, and
use the right version.

I can understand the need in some certain situations to embed code
copies, but I think that those should be treated as the exception rather
than the rule.  (FWIW, I maintain a package in C/C++-land that does
embed code (because at the time it was originally written, a proper
library wasn't written yet, though some day I'd like to push a patch
upstream to make it use the now-written library), and I can say that
security support for it is a huge pain.  So I can sympathize with
maintainers who are placed in such unpleasant situations.)

-- 
Hubert Chathi <uhoreg at debian.org> -- https://www.uhoreg.ca/
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