[asdf-devel] Update: encoding file options version.

[Pascal Costanza]

On 22 Apr 2012, at 00:01, Faré wrote:

>> : Douglas Crosher
>> 
>> I would ask you to reconsider the impact of releasing ASDF
>> with the :encoding declaration bundled and of recommending its use.
>> 
> I'd like to add :encoding now, if only because
> if we are to ever use it, we must wait for it to be
> in an asdf that has already made its way to all/most implementations
> before it's considered universal enough for libraries to rely on it.
> Whereas if we don't end up using it, it's easier to remove later.
> 
> But you're right: I should not actively encourage its use for now,
> except for people who know what they are doing and are ready to deal
> with stricter dependencies and possible future change.


These two paragraphs show very clearly what's wrong with ASDF (since v2.x): Experimental features are pushed to CL implementations (that mostly pick it up because ASDF has turned into a de-facto standard), instead of figuring out a way that helps the CL community to participate in having a say on what the best solutions for particular problems could be. The decision which concrete experimental feature is put into ASDF is largely in the hand of the maintainers.

People who know what they are doing can _always_ go to some place and fetch the concrete experimental feature that they need. Those people _don't need_ a feature to be available in all CL implementations. The only features that should be in all CL implementations are the ones that are stable and mature!

The situation before ASDF 2.x, when ASDF was not bundled with CL implementations, was much better!


Pascal

--
Pascal Costanza
The views expressed in this email are my own, and not those of my employer.