Re: Generating an environment setting script

[Armando Di Cianno]

On 2004-07-26 02:19:34 -0500 stefan@agentfarms.net wrote:
> Citát Alexander Malmberg <alexander@malmberg.org>:
>> During some recent discussions of GNUstep.sh in #GNUstep (and, in
>> particular, of problems using it with various shells), Andrew Ruder
>> suggested a script that generates a script that sets the environment
>> (instead of having a GNUstep.sh that both figures out what it needs to
>> set in the environment _and_ sets the environment). Thence:
>> 
I am strongly in favor of any reasonable changes that bring this about.

> On the other hand, here are few questions about GNUstep.sh script:
> - why we need it?
If the script solely set up an environment for an end-user (or developer) that 
would alleviate the side effects the current script has.  I believe all the 
problems I've had are complications of the actual build process of a software 
package utilizing this script, and therefore being forced to make certain, 
incorrect, assumptions.

> - who needs it - all users or certain group/type of users only?
Any "gnustep user" on a system should be able to utilize a script that sets up 
there environment.  This would be analogous to files that one would want to put 
into /etc/skel.

> - what tools rely on it? is'n there any other way to supply gnustep-based
> configuration to those tools?
In the problems I was having, any tools that makes assumptions in the use of 
make_services or user_home, in it's build process, could have these issues.

> If there is issue with -make only, then i would suggest to get rid of that
> script for standard users and make it developers-only. In addition, with
> ProjectCenter there should be no need of that script for make process as PC
> shuold take care of setting proper variables. Therefore the script should be
> optional and for in-terminal development.
Agreed.  Changes should of course be well documented so dev's could, if they 
desire, do in terminal development.  If the main env script solely set up the 
environment, and nothing more, a dev/build script could also be made if need be 
for these purposes.

> Moreover I see a little problem with this script as it is used by both:
> system-wide configuration and per-user configuration. Example: you have 
> gnustep
> server run in initialisation process. There is no need to call make_services
> for root user, because in fact it is not the root user that runs other 
> programs
> but initialisation process.
Exactly.  This what the first problem I stumbled across when writing ebuilds 
for Gentoo.

I still think the patch I posted to this list, earlier, solves these problems, 
but it also makes assumptions.  The main assumption being that "the user 
calling me set up the environment; I will trust what they set up" ... for me, 
this meant paying attention to $HOME.  I haven't be able to find any problems 
yet, using my patch.

Either way, I suggest we tackle this.  If only to make my life easier. :-) j/k.

__Armando Di Cianno
P.S. I love how I can discuss issues of a system with developers all over the 
world, and it's hard for me to talk to my boss across the hall.  Gotta love it.