[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>> Another perfectly valid way to look at this is that Perl is _forced_
>> to be part of the minimum install image _because_ it's used for
>> important system components.
>>
>> That's still architectural.
>>
>
> There is a distinction between the runtime environment and the code the
> developer writes and maintains. As Darren has pointed out twice, the
> Perl runtime is already part of ON. Why should a Perl developer have to
> concern him/herself with architectural issues about the runtime? In the
> general case, I don't have to worry about architectural issues with
> ld.so.1(1) just because I've written a dynamically linked executable.
>
>
>>> Now adding Python or other language runtime of choice into the minimal
>>> install image would be architectural, but Perl is already there.
>>>
>> Yes, those would have essentially the same sort of impact. As far as
>> I know, there's no explicit policy or precedent here.
>>
>
> If we're trying to make it easier for more people to develop
> OpenSolaris, making rules about what languages can and can't be used
> seems counterproductive.
>
But one should not, I think, ignore the overhead that adding new
runtimes (and even new compile-time languages) adds. Each language
needs (typically) either or both of a full time runtime environment and
a development tool chain.
And, I'm not suggesting that we should prohibit perl development.
Rather I've suggested that PSARC (or whatever other powers-that-be is
appropriate) should aim that installation of perl on Solaris should be
"optional". In other words, I think that software that is part of the
"minimal install" should not depend on other large external runtimes
(I'll go ahead and extend this to Java and ksh93 as well, if you prefer)
such as Perl. (Compile time toolchain requirements should be considered
by the various REs involved ... I don't care much about Compile time
requirements so much as the runtime overhead.)
Looking at the competitive landscape, I've built Linux and NetBSD
distributions that were functional and occupied less than 4 MB total.
While these were primitive builds, for single-function devices, I think
it is useful to think about space and bloat. It'd be nice if developers
would occasionally make an effort to develop software that make
assumptions about Moore's Law. :-)
-- Garrett
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