[pacman-dev] Download options

[Allan McRae]

On 03/12/16 06:31, Olivier Brunel wrote:
> On Fri, 2 Dec 2016 16:47:41 +1000
> Allan McRae <allan at archlinux.org> wrote:
> 
>> There was many thread and patches regarding this, so I am starting
>> another!
>>
>> So far there are two (maybe three) things people want options for to
>> do with the downloader.  I see most of these options being set in
>> pacman.conf and rarely specified on the command line.  Argue with me
>> if I am wrong here...
>>
>> Based on that assumption, here are my preferred option names (for both
>> pacman.conf and the command line):
>>
>> 1) Disable low speed timeout
>>
>> DisableDownloadTimeout
>> --disable-download-timeout
>>
>> I see no need to separate out speed and time timeouts.
>>
>>
>> 2) Set maximum download speed
>>
>> MaxDownloadSpeed
>> --max-download-speed
>>
>> I would also accept replacing speed with limit.
>>
>>
>> 3) (in a glorious future) Set maximum concurrent downloads
>>
>> MaxConcurrentDownloads
>> --max-concurrent-downloads
>>
>>
>> Any argument about these option names will need to be very clearly
>> justified.  I don't own a bike so have no need for a bikeshed.
> 
> Well, I could re-state how "Dl" is shorter than "Download" which might
> be nice, especially on command-line option -- but also looks to me like
> all those options would be about the longest ones yet, so far options
> can have "shortcuts" in their names, e.g. --dbpath not --databasepath or
> --nodeps not --nodependencies
> 
> It is possible those might be rarely specified on command line, doesn't
> mean they have to be as lengthy as possible because of it. Clear but
> short is good, and I feel that can be achieved here.
> 
> Doesn't have to apply to options in pacman.conf, and I guess they don't
> have to be named the same; There's already difference in case style, and
> it wouldn't even be the first time, e.g. --ignore vs IgnorePkg
> 
> 
> Why use "disable" as prefix while every other options usually goes with
> "no" instead? (--nodeps, --noconfirm, --noscriplet, etc)
> 
> 
> And while on the topic of consistency, let me add that almost all of
> pacman's options use a "single word style," i.e. no dashes in them:
> --ignoregroup; --noprogressbar; --downloadonly; etc Why not keep that
> up?
> 
> Yes, there are already expections to the rule (namely --print-format &
> --assume-installed), but those are the only two (I believe), I'm not
> sure it's good to make more. Consistency is a nice thing.
> 
> 
> So at least for command line, --nodltimeout and --maxdlspeed (and for
> the glorious future simply --maxdownloads) seem better to me.
> (Though if you don't like the "dl" bit, --nodownloadtimeout &
> --maxdownloadspeed would work too I guess; I do prefer the
> shorter versions myself, which I find still pretty clear/readable,
> but your choice.)
> 
> Either way we can use NoDownloadTimeout & MaxDownloadSpeed (and
> MawDownloads, or even MaxConcurrentDownloads) in pacman.conf; Yes the
> "No" prefix is also used there, so again feels better/more consistent
> that way.
> 

And we hit bikeshed again...

I'm done.  All patches adding new options will not be considered until
further notice.

Allan