bzr for Gnus (was: Switching to bzr: what Emacs developers should know?)

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:49:10 -0400 Karl Fogel <address@hidden> wrote: 

KF> Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> writes:
>> Actually, for Gnus it seems not particularly easy, because two-way
>> merges like those Miles currently does don't seem to fit into the Bazaar
>> model nicely at all and because merging two separate package histories
>> into one seems to fit even worse.

KF> Well, I should get a better understanding of how Gnus is developed,
KF> before trying to write that section of the wiki.  (Maybe my claim about
KF> how it fits the Bzr model well is wrong...)

KF> Is Gnus just in a separate CVS repository right now, and all the changes
KF> get copied over in some primitive, history-destroying way when a new
KF> Gnus is put into the Emacs distribution?  If so, the Bright Shining
KF> Future would be to simply version Gnus within the Emacs tree, and have
KF> the Gnus developers maintain their own long-lived branches, just as with
KF> anything else.  They don't have to make changes outside the Gnus area
KF> when they don't want to, after all.

Miles does the synchronization, and it preserves history and changes
from both sides well.

FWIW, I'd be happy switching to bzr for Gnus work.  I don't know how
well that would work for the following common needs:

- pull Gnus independently (for XEmacs users, including compatibility
  libraries)

- pull Gnus by itself (no compatibility libraries, for Emacs users)

- pull Gnus with Emacs (normal case)

In addition, there's a difference between an independent Gnus repository
synchronized with the Emacs repository and moving the entire Gnus
repository inside Emacs.  I don't know which one the Gnus developers
would prefer, or even how such a move would be decided.  My guess is
that Lars Ingebrigtsen should at least be involved in the discussion in
addition to the current Gnus contributors.

KF> Unless Gnus devs do not want to switch to Bazaar?  Can anyone here
KF> answer, or should I be asking over in some Gnus forum?

Gnus discussion is usually on the Ding list (address@hidden) but most
Gnus developers read emacs-devel as well.  They may have missed your
post, though, so I'm following up to it with a new subject and copying
it to that list.

Ted