Re: Should guix track package aliases?

[Julien Lepiller]

Le 10 mai 2020 05:57:22 GMT-04:00, zimoun <address@hidden> a écrit :
>Dear,
>
>On Sat, 9 May 2020 at 22:19, Josh Marshall
><address@hidden> wrote:
>
>> [...] naming conventions between the source project, [...] , and guix
>itself have some drift.
>
>Some packages already track upstream name: see the field '(proprieties
>(upstream-name . "foo"))', e.g., the package "r-flowsom",
>
>> The approach which I think makes the most sense is to add an optional
>but encouraged field in package definitions which takes a list of
>alternative package names.  When using `guix search` this field could
>also be evaluated, and when `guix package -i` is invoked and the target
>does not exist, these aliases could be searched through for similar
>names to the non-existing target and suggest the actual package they
>might have intended.
>
>Well, the 'proprieties' field is not used by 'package->recutils' which
>is the function used by "guix show" (and "guix search").  I do not
>have an option if an extra field "upstream-name" should be added or
>not.
>
>However, from my point of view, "Explicit is better than implicit." as
>said any good Zen. ;-)
>So, I appears to me a bad idea to implicitly install 'bar' when I type
>"guix package -i foo" because 'bar' is an alternative name I am not
>aware of.

The proposal was about suggesting anotger nameqwhen no package was found, not 
to install something else.

>
>IMHO, the fix is to improve the synposis and the description to be
>able to reach the expected package.  If the description is
>well-written, then "guix search bar" should return the package "foo".
>
>
>Well, do you have specific example in mind?
>

$ guix install gcc
guix install: error: gcc: unknown package
Hint: did you mean `guix install gcc-toolchain`?

Since not being able to install gcc is surprising, and you don't always know 
about gcc-toolchain.

$ guix install gpg
Hint: did you mean `guix install gnupg`?

Often a name is used to refer to a package, and it's annoying to go through a 
search, especially when you have to filter a big output.

I'd use the search when I don't have a specific package in mind. For instance, 
looking for a font or a game:

guix search roguelike
"Give me a list of roguelike games"
guix search font japanese
"Give me a list of fonts I can use to see Japanese texts"

If I have to do "guix search gpg" I really mean "give me the package named gpg 
but you stupid guix devs in your infinite wisdom have decided to use another 
name" ;)

The first use-case is good, the second one is frustrating, don't you think?

>
>All the best,
>simon