Re: [ELPA] Add package flymake-rest

[Philip Kaludercic]

Mohsin Kaleem <mohkale@kisara.moe> writes:

> Hi,
>
> This is just a friendly email to ask whether there's any interest in
> including my package flymake-rest <https://melpa.org/#/flymake-rest>
> in NonGNU ELPA (or ELPA). It's essentially an assortment of diagnostic
> functions for a bunch of different linters/checkers and a few helper
> functions for using flymake.
>
> I realise the README of NonGNU ELPA mentions no packages may make
> references to non-free software which could be a linter in the case of
> this package. If necessary I'll move all references to such linters to
> a separate MELPA package and only keep diagnostic functions for linters
> with free licenses in the main package being proposed to NonGNU ELPA.

Out of curiosity, do you know if such software is widespread?  I guess
we are talking about things like something like a proprietary compiler
with static analysis, right?

It should also be pointed out that the issue isn't acknowledging
non-free software in itself (my usual example is browse-url supports
Google Chrome), but a strict dependence for the package to work.  Now I
am not sure if, e.g. adding support for Intel's ICC compiler would be OK
if GCC and Clang were also provided (never used ICC so this example
might be nonsensical)?

> The purpose of this email is mostly to gauge whether there's any desire
> for this package in NonGNU ELPA. What do you think?

I certainly think that this would be a very interesting package to have
in NonGNU ELPA (or even GNU ELPA).  If you are interested, it might even
make sense to add the macros -- or some variation thereof -- you use to
generate a checker to Flymake (ie. the core) itself.  Whether or not the
checkers should also be added is a different matter.