[Pkg-javascript-devel] Bug#650343: Bug#650343: nodejs: please provide "nodejs" command as a synonym for node

[Jonas Smedegaard]

On 12-04-27 at 11:58pm, Jonathan Nieder wrote:
> Jonathan Nieder wrote:
> 
> > On some machines /usr/sbin/node refers to some program that is not 
> > the node.js interpreter.  Therefore it would be helpful to have a 
> > "nodejs" command that does exactly the same thing as /usr/bin/node, 
> > for people to put into their scripts to reliably refer to the 
> > node.js interpreter.
> 
> The message [1] reminded me that this still wasn't finished.  Oops.
> Sorry to be so slow.

I saw this issue as one for us all to move on, not you alone.  I just 
personally feel very tired really quickly dealing politically entangled 
stuff as I feel this one is.  So I am very very happy that you had 
another go at it - and am quite surprised with the elegantly tiny 
approach you came up with: You really think that is acceptable for the 
project?


> After rereading [2], I am a little afraid of bringing this up upstream
> without a patch.  Unfortunately the build system scares me, too, so
> for now all I can offer is a patch against the Debian packaging.
> 
> (Disclaimer: the following has nothing to do with Debian policy.) I
> genuinely think the best thing Debian could do in wheezy is:
> 
>  - provide Node.js as /usr/bin/node
> 
>  - provide LinuxNode as /usr/sbin/node
> 
>  - also provide unambiguous names (e.g., nodejs, ax25-node) for these
>    commands, and use the unambiguous names in configuration and in
>    other packages
> 
> I also hope that upstream can understand that we are not trying to
> deny reality or to work against them but that it would be nice for
> googlability among other reasons to move to less generic names for
> these commands and avoid generic command names in the future.
> 
> The name /usr/bin/nodejs seems to have some cross-distro support.[3]
> 
> Thoughts?  Improvements?

As a symbolic move demonstrating that I at least support your effort, 
I've now applied your proposed patch.

@Jérémy: If you for some reason disagree, you are of course feel free to 
revert it again.  Point of my move here is that do not feel very 
strongly about it (and in fact is a little embarrased about my role in 
it, as I - ill-informed about these matters in Policy - convinced you 
back when I got involved that it was no big deal, even if you'd already 
prepared for a full rename), so just wanna help wherever I can.


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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