Bug#886986: please remove bump-fasl-loader-version.patch

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Bruno,

thanks for your detailed answer! In my summary this means that .mem
files are completely useless for third-party programs unless all fas
files are shipped and .mem files always being rebuilt?

If this is the case, we will have a "slight" problem with xindy, because
this is the way the build process is set up by the upstream author, and
rewritting the whole build and distribution process *independently* from
upstream xindy is not an option, and I am quite sure from the level of
activity I see that Joachim will not do the rewrite :-(

> If you don't like this rule, or it cannot be implemented in Debian, then don't
> use .mem files for packages other than clisp itself.
...
> Linux distros runs ldconfig each time a new shared library gets installed.
> Rebuilding .mem files is a similar concept.

I disagree with the ldconfig analogy, but I agree that we have to do
something. It is similar to the format dumps of (pdf(e))tex etc used,
which we do rebuild at certain times - only that this is supported and
done upstream, too, while this is not the case with xindy.

> This is wishful thinking. .mem files don't work like that.

But *you* do know when the internal representation changes, or? This is
not something that falls from the sky like a meteorite? clisp *could*
provide this information (that is why I always said API version and
didn't use the fasl-loader version). Just make a counter 1,2,3,4... for
each change of the internal representation. This is what would make the
most sense, and would allow other programs to use .mem files, too.

> .mem files are really only an optimization of the startup time. It allows
> to reduce the startup time from something like 0.1 sec ... 1.0 sec to
> the range 0.001 sec ... 0.1 sec.

Which is a relevant speed-up, considering there are old computers where
this needs to be multiplied with a factor of 10 or more (embedded
devices etc including!).

ALl the best and thanks again for your explanations and help

Norbert

--
PREINING Norbert                               http://www.preining.info
Accelia Inc.     +    JAIST     +    TeX Live     +    Debian Developer
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