Re: a 4-part deletion test (was Re: tn3270, mset and map3270)

[Adam Hamsik <haaaad%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Jan,Sunday 17 2010, at 3:17 AM, David Young wrote:

> On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 06:16:24PM -0500, Steven Bellovin wrote:
>> This is the problem: having something in pkgsrc requires a maintainer
>> who's going to do what it takes to keep the code running.  The
>> proposal to delete tn3270 was advanced not because tn3270 almost
>> unused, but because it's almost unused *and* would need significant
>> work to keep working with future releases of the system.  In other
>> words, is it worth the effort?
> 
> Two thoughts:
> 
> I don't think that anybody flat out said, "[tn3270 et cetera] will need
> significant work to keep working with future releases," which somebody
> should have done, because not everyone is going to infer that from the
> discussion.  It hadn't occurred to *me* before.
> 
> The question "is it worth the effort?" needs some unpacking.  Worth
> whose effort?  Mine?  Yours?  Roy's or Marc's or Simon's?  It's a
> volunteer project, remember. :-)
> 
> I think that before we delete some function from the base system, the
> function needs to pass at least this 4-part test:
> 
> 1) Nobody uses the function, and nobody even wants to.
> 
> 2) The burden of maintaining the function inhibits the system's
>   maintenance in some *extraordinary* way.  Consider prioritizing
>   functions in a few broad categories (kernel & userland, for example)
>   for deletion.
> 
> 3) No one offers to maintain the function.

I would only add actively here, which means that this function must be 
proactively changed to respect other system changes on which function depends 
by its maintainer.

> 4) The function is not less valuable to its maintainers outside
>   of the base system than inside it---e.g., there's not any use
>   cross-building it.
> 
> Finally, food for thought: if a function that is a candidate for
> deletion meets criteria 2 through 4, but not criterion 1, perhaps it
> should be deleted?
> 
> Dave
> 
> -- 
> David Young             OJC Technologies
> dyoung%ojctech.com@localhost      Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933

Regards

Adam.