Re: import vs include Re: Porting autogsdoc to OSX

[Helge Hess]

Richard Frith-Macdonald wrote:
> I guess you must have missed it ... NSURL supports http stuff (mime type 
> headers) and suchlike,
> and the new property list format is XML, and bth NSURL and property 
> lists are part of MacOS-X
> Foundation.

OK, I had the impression that new API was added, for XML like a SAX and 
DOM library and for MIME like JavaMail.
BTW: it is not required by the API of Foundation that HTTP URLs are 
supported ! This capability can easily be added by another library.

> So ... far from breaking portability, inclusion of this functionality is 
> critical for ensuring
> portability with MacOS-X (and we're looking at making this stuff readily 
> usable from MacOS-X
> apps as well as just usable internally by the base lbrary).  Ok, it's 
> not portable with the
> (effectively dead) OpenStep spec.

No, MacOSX compatibility is absolutely required, I agree. What I fear 
(and this already has happened) is that internal API besides Foundation 
(as specified by MacOSX API) is exported.
I see a huge potential in gstep-base for becoming bloated. In my opinion 
it should be Foundation, nothing more.

> Sure, these are features that the old OPENSTEP and libFoundation 
> Foundations lack, but I think
> ensuring portability to/from MacOS-X is the first portability priority.

Well, you are wrong here. libFoundation currently lacks non of the 
features you are talking about ! But it has a minimalistic approach in 
supporting the MacOSX Foundation, eg XML plists and HTTP URLs are added 
in user-level libraries, not in the core itself, since this is *NOT* 
required at all by the MacOSX Foundation API.


> To the best of my knowledge there has never been portability between 
> foundations -

gstep-gui has run on NeXTstep Foundation, libFoundation and gstep-base.

Greetings
  Helge