[ELGIS] Enterprise Linux 6: what in EPEL? what in ELGIS?

[Mathieu Baudier]

Hello,

I have synchronized locally the CentOS 6 and EPEL 6 repositories and I
plan to start working on some EL6 packaging over the next few days.
(For those like Micha and Peter we have already done some work on EL6,
don't hesitate to send me your spec files!)

Now comes the question of which packages should be maintained in EPEL
and which in ELGIS.

We already had some offlist discussions about it with Volker (who is
doing an incredible job with Fedora packaging! Most of what we do is
basically backporting his work).
But this is now time to discuss it openly and decide together on our strategy.

There are two main benefits in maintaining packages in EPEL:

- this avoids the duplication of efforts and resources (esp. our time)

- since many have EPEL already configured this gives a wider access to
FLOSS GIS software
=> people don't have to install an additional third-party repo that
they have to trust

The drawbacks are around the policies and procedures of EPEL:

- one cannot update base packages
=> not a big deal in the short term for EL6 and anyhow we can always
keep the ELGIS Plus repository

- one has to go through certain release procedure with review, etc.
=> probably good for the overall quality of such a huge repo, but may
cost more time than it is worth for a small "niche" field like GIS

- the intellectual property allocation of the work done is not
completely clear to me
=> personally, if I do volunteer work I prefer the created IP to be in
the public domain or to belong to a non-profit like the OSGeo (that is
the case for contributions to GeoTools for example). Not a big deal
since we talk about FLOSS software, but still worth noting.

- apparently, once a version is introduced there should be only bug
fixes, no upgrades
=> this is the reason there is currently a GDAL 1.7.x in EPEL.
=> @Volker: don't hesitate to elaborate a bit on this constraint if I
misunderstood you

So far, we have tried to find a balance between the fast innovation in
FLOSS GIS and he stability and predictability of the ELGIS repos.
Our strategy is to perform significant package upgrades around the
minor releases (5.5, 5.6, 6.0, 6.1, etc.) of Enterprise Linux, with
bug fixes/enhances (micro versions) in between.

My personal taste would be to collaborate closely with Fedora and EPEL
in order to basically use the same spec files (or at least have them
very easy to merge) but keep our own pace for the most critical
packages (GDAL and deps, PostGIS, MapServer, GRASS, QGIS, etc.).

Thanks in advance for your comments, opinions and ideas!

Cheers,

Mathieu