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From: dsill@RELAY.NSWC.NAVY.MIL
Newsgroups: comp.emacs,gnu.emacs
Subject: Emacs Lisp Archives -- organization
Message-ID: <8906221943.AA10716@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 22 Jun 89 19:43:30 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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Okay, I've given some thought to the organization of the elisp
archives.  I'll describe what I have in mind, then you can
flame/praise/comment upon it.

Everything I dumped under elisp-archive initially will be put in a
subdirectory called "own-risk", indicating that there are no
guarantees that it:
    -will run
    -is documented
    -won't damage anything on your system
In other words, use this code at your own risk.

Other subdirectories will be set up such as those suggested recently
by Chris Siebenmann:
    modes	- various major modes
    interfaces	- interfaces to other systems (eg dbx.el, mh-e.el)
		  perhaps with subdirectories for X, news, etc.
    packages	- bundles of functions that don't make a mode
    functions	- individual useful functions
    misc	- things that don't fit elsewhere
Any others?

I would place code under these directories only after I'm satisfied
that it is sufficiently safe and that its purpose, installation, and
use is adequately documented.  I would also require the author to
include the GNU General Public License.

I'd also change the "contact" field of the Lisp Code Directory
datafile to indicate the location of the code if it's in the archive.
This would allow an elisp-archive-retrieve command to be hacked up, as
well as indicating if an item is in the archive.

I think this approach would maximize the availability of the code
at a minimum of effort to the contributors, maintainers, and users.

One unresolved issue is how to name the archive files.  In most cases,
I can simply use the author's name.  Sometimes, however, the author
hasn't provided a name, or the name isn't unique, or the code consists
of modifications to a distributed package such as rmail.

Comments, please?

-Dave Sill
 dsill@relay.nswc.navy.mil
 elisp archive coordinator