[Koha-patches] [PATCH] Adding date format hints to date entry fields (Bug 3089).

[Joe Atzberger]

On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 1:27 PM, MJ Ray <mjr at phonecoop.coop> wrote:

> Joe Atzberger <joe.atzberger at liblime.com> wrote:
> > No, that was a local issue where MJ was working with a miscompiled
> version
> > of perl.  There is no impediment to use on Mac OSX (or elsewhere), with
> perl
> > properly configured.
>
> Yeah, a "local issue" that applies to every Mac with that version of
> OSX unless they replaced the system perl.  AIUI, the module author
> is more accommodating than some Koha developers and HTP now works
> around the problem.  Unfortunately, we're still forked for now.


The reason it doesn't work is that particular perl is misconfigured causing
dependencies to be miscompiled, specifically the bit-depth of integer
representation.  I don't care if Steve Jobs himself built the systems, Koha
does not have the choice to "accommodate" miscompiled dependencies.  Any
hack around we make would not be maintainable.

If it were as you say, this would still be Apple's problem to fix.  And
since it *does* work fine on the several versions of MacOSX available to the
rest of us, evidence suggests that Apple does know how to properly configure
perl for most platforms.  If you can confirm that the perl really was
properly installed with stock Config, and that Apple has not addressed it
with any subsequent bugfix, please update rt #38013 to show it and we can do
like the module author suggests and "report this as a bug against that
'perl, v5.8.8 built for darwin-thread-multi-2level' build".

But since the author was gracious enough to tweak H:T:P for your case,
where's the cause for a fork now?  Do you still want to:

   - run on other similarly miscompiled dependencies, or
   - run on similarly misconfigured perl, or
   - swap out the entire templating system for a pure perl one?

Your attitude that we are putting you out is awfully self-righteous for
being first unaware and now flat-out wrong.  Koha developers have spent many
hours investigating your problem and specifically determining the cause, for
absolutely no reward and no payoff to Koha.  Not even a pro forma "thanks".
The proper thing to do is *at least* to attempt the fix recommended and
report back how well it worked or didn't work.  It is certainly unacceptable
to go on claiming the problem persists and is Koha's fault, when months
later you won't try running with properly compiled dependencies first.

You now claim a fork of the project without demonstrating any legitmate
outstanding reason.  If that were really necessary and one were going to be
responsible about it, they would:

   - document and demonstrate the reasons,
   - publish their git repo, and
   - still commit most of their patches back to mainline, since the majority
   of code is still shared.

Yet we haven't seen any code committed from you in almost a year.  How do
you expect to be taken seriously?

--joe
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