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From: edguer@charlie.CES.CWRU.Edu (Aydin Edguer)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: How to make a faster comp.sources.unix
Message-ID: <1990Dec2.013833.13194@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
Date: 2 Dec 90 01:38:33 GMT
References: <10770:Nov3009:18:4790@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1990Dec1.214721.15514@NCoast.ORG>
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In article <1990Dec1.214721.15514@NCoast.ORG> allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery KB8JRR) writes:
>As quoted from <10770:Nov3009:18:4790@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> by brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein):
>+---------------
>| Do you want to help? Do you want to see comp.sources.unix submissions
>| ahead of time, and help give each package the workout it deserves? Say
>| so. Follow up to this message and make a commitment.
>+---------------
>
>I don't know about Rich, but *I* like it --- and it has the further advantage
>that, with enough willing volunteers on enough different machines/operating
>systems, one can then test almost any package that comes in by shunting it to
>the right volunteer for testing.  Maybe the next moderator of .misc should try
>this out.

Okay.  Rich $alz usually requires the following to publish a source.
	1) a makefile
	2) documentation
	3) a manual page
	4) it works (at least compiles) on the moderators machine

What are you now talking about adding?

I assume you want to test the program on the different variants of UNIX.
What is the "minimum" subset?  BSD4.2, BSD4.3, BSD4.3Tahoe, BSD4.3Reno, SVR2,
SVR3, XENIX, XENIX 286, SVR4, ULTRIX, SunOS, HP-UX, UNICOS, OSF/1, BSD2.10?

So, lets say that the program does not work under System V.  Does the source
not get published?  Does the source get published but with a warning?

Let's say that the moderators find some compatibility problems.  Do they
send the changes back to the author?  Do they make up patches and send them
along with the source?

What if an author decides that they do not want to support the software on
systems they do not have access to?  Do the moderators release "unofficial"
patches?

What if one of the moderators does not finish testing within the one or two
week limit for processing?  Does the whole posting get held up?   Does
the posting get made but with a message saying it is untested under XYZNIX?

Should list of moderators be limited to people with Internet connections?

Do moderators have to test out future patches in addition to the sources?

I really do like the idea, but I don't see answers to all the problems and
am wondering what people think.  Or am I blowing things out of proportion?

-- 
Aydin Edguer