Re: Add doctest pkg to octave-forge

[Carnë Draug]

On 5 July 2015 at 10:49, Colin Macdonald <address@hidden> wrote:
> On 03/07/15 17:33, Carnë Draug wrote:
>>
>> I actually think this would be useful in core.  Not as a separate function
>> but as part of test().  If we start it as a package, then core can't use
>> it
>> itself.  What do you think?
>
> "then core can't use it": I assume you mean the core Octave build/test
> process must not be made to depend on OF packages---which is certainly
> reasonable.  Of course devs could nonetheless use it to test core functions,
> just not as a part of the build process.
>
>
> I don't think I have a strong opinion: does it have to be either or?
>
> Adding it to core means it will take some time until people (external to
> Octave devs) can start to use it.  So we'd probably maintain it as a
> separate package for at least a year or so anyway: perhaps it might as well
> be an OF package during that time?
>

Developing it as a separate package is more like to slow down incorporation
into core.  It is not very common that code in a package gets moved into core.
If that's the long plan, it's just easier to do it in core from the start.

Also, it may look like it will slow down adoption, but I believe the opposite.
If it gets incorporated into core as part of test(), everyone will
automatically use it as soon as Octave 4.2 gets released (even if they don't
know about it).  On my mind, being part of test() means that calling test on
a function will automatically test the help text too.  There wouldn't be
a doctest function as the namespace is polluted enough as it is. Others
may have different opinions though.

Of course, there may be more work to include it on core, so if you prefer a
separate package, just say so, and I will create it on Octave Forge.

Carnë