Hi:

I was checking out ghostscript and there are 4 different packages in
the wild providing the same functionality.

* AFPL Ghostscript 8.51
<ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/AFPL/>: This is the
official release from Artifex which has restrictions on
re-distribution and commercial use.
* GPL Ghostscript 8.15
<ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/GPL/>: This is the
official GPL release from Artifex. Basically same as AFPL but is
released at least one year after the AFPL release.
* GNU Ghostscript 8.16 <ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/ghostscript/>: This is
the newly created and maintained package from GNU. GNU and Artifex
parted ways a year or so back.
* ESP Ghostscript 7.07.1 <ftp://ftp.easysw.com/pub/ghostscript>: This
is the release from Easy Software that includes pstoraster. It is
based on GNU Ghostscript, don't know if future releases will be based
on GNU or GPL Ghostscript.

[RFC 1]
The BLFS instructions state that the pstoraster patch cannot be
applied to AFPL Ghostscript. This seems to be incorrect. The AFPL only
restricts redistribution, so patching the software and using it
internally is allowed (though the current pstoraster patch from Easy
Software does not work because of incompatible changes between AFPL
Ghostscript 8.1x and 8.5x). I am planning to change the wording of the
incorrect note in the Book.

[RFC 2]
I would like to propose inclusion of GNU Ghostscript instead of ESP
Ghostscript since ESP Ghostscript lags the GNU version and also since
GNU Ghostscript now seems to be a maintained project. That would mean
that we would have GNU Ghostscript and AFPL Ghostscript in BLFS.

[RFC 3]
Or should we include only one Ghostscript package and if so which one?
Personally I prefer having AFPL and GNU Ghostscript in BLFS.

Thoughts? Comments?

--Tushar.

-- 
Tushar Teredesai
   mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/~tushar/
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