From: Shawn Hargreaves Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp Subject: Re: Size of Allegro distribution Date: Sat, 13 Sep 1997 17:13:53 +0100 Organization: None Distribution: world Message-ID: <3urufhABvrG0EwNj@talula.demon.co.uk> References: <1 DOT 5 DOT 4 DOT 16 DOT 19970913120010 DOT 0e479c7e AT giasbga DOT vsnl DOT net DOT in> NNTP-Posting-Host: talula.demon.co.uk MIME-Version: 1.0 Lines: 42 To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Precedence: bulk Chirayu Krishnappa writes: > However, it is my opinion that the current version of allegro should >not be broken up into addons. Stuff such as communictaions (DZCOMM), etc can >be addons and is easier to maintain and download that way. Maybe even the >sound routines could be made addons but the rest is essential. I think basically that is true. There will always need to be a core library that contains all the "essential" functionality: it would be a nonsense to have people downloading the putpixel() function but not the line() routine :-) But I think we have now reached the point where Allegro already contains most of the core functionality that it will ever have: obviously with some exceptions, but in general the things that are being added to it today are larger, more complex and specialised things that would work very well as optional modules. I think zbuffered polygon drawing, network support, a more sophisticated GUI, a JPEG loader, etc, would all come under that category... >I've heard of diffutils. So what I suggest is that Shawn release a >version 2.3 or a 3.0alpha version (the current wip version). Then he >can upload the diff's each time allegro is changes - till the 3.0 >version is out. I'm going to start doing that, but I think a full zip of the latest code is needed as well. The last time I tried just uploading a set of changes (about three months ago), I got a lot of email from people who were having trouble building it, and that was when I included the modified files in their entirety without even using a diff program! There are just too many ways in which a partial version can go wrong :-) >Another idea would be to break up the distribution into different files >like, docs.zip, examples.zip, kernel.zip, demo.zip, etc. What say? I think that would create a lot of confusing for new users: it is one thing to be able to download a lib, build it, and then go looking for addon packages that will extend it, but the original installation should be kept as painless as possible and should provide everything needed to get up and running... -- Shawn Hargreaves - shawn AT talula DOT demon DOT co DOT uk - http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/ Beauty is a French phonetic corruption of a short cloth neck ornament.