[pacman-dev] download code in pacman

[Aurelien Foret]

VMiklos wrote:
> to prevent code duplication - the duplication of download code in each
> frontend. writing a simple C funtion that does the same as "pacman -S
> foo" is currently means that every frontend is _forced_ to use its _own_
> download code.

I don't think the code duplication is that important: the download code 
from pacman is big because we're depending on libftp, which is quite 
basic and limited as a transfer library.
Achieving the same result with a decent library (e.g libcurl) would 
require far less code and efforts.

> for example if we add rsync support to pacman, and users
> start to use that protocoll in pacman.conf, then every frontend have to
> support that protocoll.

pacman.conf is pacman's configuration file. If other frontends choose to 
use it, they will become tight to it and to pacman evolutions. A wise 
frontend should use its own configuration file.

Anyway, if packages can be made available from FTP, HTTP, or rsync 
servers, the frontend remains free to choose whatever protocol it wants 
to support.

> if we would provide a default download code
> (see my previous mail, for example by allowing to pass NULL as the
> download callback function pointer), then the frontend are free to
> choose: to use or not to use the download code provided by the library

I see your point, but all in all, I still consider that the download 
code must be kept away from the library.
--
Aurelien