[Pkg-octave-devel] Bug#742503: octave 3.8.1 requires java

[Leo Butler]

>   Control: found -1 3.8.1-1
>   Control: notfound -1 3.6.4-4+b2
>   Control: severity -1 wishlist
>   Control: tags -1 + moreinfo
>
>   On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 14:30:30 +0000, Leo Butler wrote:
>   > Since Octave introduced its java-dependent gui (congrats) in v3.8.1, I
>   > have been unable/unwilling to upgrade. I believe that these graphical
>   > dependencies should be downgraded to *recommended* and/or a separate
>   > octave-nox package--which installs only a terminal version of
>   > octave--be provided.
>
>   Thanks for your bug report and feedback on octave packaging. The
>   request for an octave-nox package is already reported as #741097, you
>   might want to read the discussion and comment there. But actually the
>   addition of a dependency on java has nothing to do with the GUI.

Thank you, and my apologies, I did not see this bug report. Please
merge this report with that, as I feel the issues and concerns are the
same.

>
>   The java dependency is to allow the Octave interpreter to run an
>   embedded JVM and interface with java libraries from the interpreter.
>   This essentially merges the functionality of the former octave-java
>   add-on package into octave itself. This is a feature which makes the
>   Octave runtime environment more compatible with Matlab. A hypothetical
>   octave-nox terminal-mode package would likely still be dependent on
>   java.

I see. I would like to see the gui dependencies repackaged as separate
recommended packages and the java dependency repackaged as an optional
package (i.e. restore the status quo ante vis-a-vis java).

I do not see why the ability to run a jvm from inside Octave should be
considered a core feature of Octave. Certainly, I use Octave in my
work (teaching+research) and have never felt the need to run a jvm
from within octave. Matlab compatibility is an ephemera and JWE
himself has written against it being a goal that drives Octave
development.

Finally, I really dislike java for a whole bunch of reasons, but
mainly because of its bloat, lack of usefulness and slowness. I
generally run Octave on resource-limited hardware.

>
>   Can you clarify whether your primary concern is having an Octave
>   package that does not have the libraries needed for a GUI which you
>   find unnecessary, or is it the inclusion of java for whatever reason?

Both.

Leo