* On Mon, Aug 17 2009, Zbigniew Lukasiak wrote:
> Optional features are not well suited for automated install.  They
> impose questions on the install - but what is more important they
> generate problems when for down-stream modules that rely on the
> optional features.  There is no easy way to specify this - and also if
> those optional features depend on installation of some optional
> prerequisites - then the down-stream module have no way to determine
> which ones of the optional prereqs are needed for the feature it
> depends on (and if that optional feature relies on another optional
> feature in one of the prerequisites - then the situation is completely
> non-transparent for the down-stream module author).

I agree completely, this has been bugging me for a while.

Personally, I never do optional features anymore.  I just make the extra
features mandatory.  If they can install my module, they can probably
install anything it depends on.

If not, they can send me a patch to split out the optional feature into
a new distribution.  But this has never been necessary.

Regards,
Jonathan Rockway

--
print just => another => perl => hacker => if $,=$"

Reply via email to