[Vm-dev] DSAPlugin

[David T. Lewis]

On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 10:06:57PM -0800, Colin Putney wrote:
>  
> On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 7:00 PM, David T. Lewis <lewis at mail.msen.com> wrote:
> 
> > (Note that the alternative would be to remove DSAPlugin from VMMaker
> > and reference the copy in Cryptography, but the plugin does not seem
> > to have changed in over a decade, so it's probably best to leave it
> > where it is in VMMaker)
> 
> Why is it best to leave it in VMMaker? Do other parts of VMMaker have
> hidden dependencies on DSAPlugin?

I did not say that it is better to leave it in VMMaker. I said that
it should be in one package or the other, but not both.

> 
> It's going to be inconvenient for the cryptography team to delete
> their copy of the DSAPlugin and then maintain 3 plugins in their own
> package, and 1 more in VMMaker. In fact, I'd like to see more plugins
> being maintained and distributed independently of the VM. What's the
> point of having a plugin architecture if plugins are tightly bound
> into the VM anyway?

I would like to hear from the Cryptography team as to what *they*
want. That is why I asked them, with a CC to vm-dev to keep people
informed.

> 
> If there are issues with moving plugins out of VMMaker, let's figure
> out what they are and fix them!

There are no problems with maintaining plugins out of VMMaker, as
long as there is an actual maintainer. That is the reason that I
maintain all of my own plugin projects (OSPP etc) outside of VMMaker.
But for a plugin is actively used but has no active developer or
maintainer (as may be the case with DSAPlugin?), it is not helpful
to put it into someone else's repository. But again, let's please
hear with the Cryptography team has to say about it. That is why
I asked the question.

Thanks,
Dave