Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!flash.alliant.com!sdr
From: sdr@flash.alliant.com (Stephen D. Rogers)
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs
Subject: Re:  Emacs Lisp Archives -- organization
Message-ID: <8906231624.AA00970@flash.>
Date: 23 Jun 89 16:24:10 GMT
Sender: daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Distribution: gnu
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet
Lines: 79

== Archive Directory Structure ==

I have a small set of personal lisp packages (mostly modifications to
posted ones) arranged in a tree that is very similar to the one you are
proposing.  A difference that I consider important is that subdirectories
in my tree use category names that are singular, rather than plural.  My
rationale is best explained with an example.  Consider:

	(autoload 'C++-mode "mode/C++")

versus

	(autoload 'C++-mode "modes/C++")

I think that the first alternative better expresses the intent: I want to
autoload a C++ `mode', not a C++ `modes'.

Another way to describe the difference is in terms of focus.  I am
focused on *using* the individual lisp packages.  Thus I want to use all
of a package's relative pathname to describe it, not just the filename.
If I were only focused on *maintaining an archive* of lisp packages, then
the pathnames to individual lisp packages may not be as important as
their categorization.

I think that the same directory structure should be used for *archiving*
and for *using* lisp packages.  However, I also think that the directory
structure should be oriented towards package use first, and package
archiving second.

== Archive File Names==

I think that file names in the archive should be based on package names,
prefixed by the login name of the author.  If login names are duplicated,
add a digit to end of the login name.  The same prefix should be used for
the same author throughout the archive.  For example,

	(autoload 'C++-mode "mode/sdr-C++")

Would be used to access a C++ mode provided by me (sdr).  If some
other sdr submitted a package anywhere else in the archive, he/she
would be `sdr1' and so on.  For example, let's say sdr1 submitted
a new shell mode:

	(autoload 'shell-mode "mode/sdr1-shell")

If a package has several files associated with it, it should be
given its own subdirectory, which contains the associated files.
For example, let's say sdr1 submitted a set of special shell
modes that are built on top of his base shell mode.  The base
shell mode would still be accessed as

	(autoload 'shell-mode "mode/sdr1-shell")

and the special shell modes would be accessed as

	(autoload 'C-shell-mode      "mode/sdr1-shell/csh")
	(autoload 'Korn-shell-mode   "mode/sdr1-shell/ksh")
	(autoload 'Bourne-shell-mode "mode/sdr1-shell/sh")
	...

It would also be worthwhile to provide an AUTHORS file for the archive,
which provided a cross reference of author id, name, and e-mail address.
For example,

	sdr	"Stephen D. Rogers"	srogers@graphics.alliant.com

One last thought: If file name length is an issue, perhaps the author
specification should be an additional directory level, rather than
a prefix.  For example,

	(autoload 'shell-mode "mode/sdr1/shell")

Maybe better: we should just add the digit to the package name as
an extension.  For example,

	(autoload 'shell-mode "mode/shell.1")

In this case, the first field in the AUTHORS file should be the
relative package name instead of the author id.