[Bug 479978] Review Request: libnewmat - Newmat C++ matrix library

[bugzilla at redhat.com]

Please do not reply directly to this email. All additional
comments should be made in the comments box of this bug.


https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=479978





--- Comment #6 from Denis Arnaud <denis.arnaud_fedora at m4x.org>  2009-06-13 11:39:01 EDT ---
Note that I am not a sponsor. However, I have quickly reviewed your package
(https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging/ReviewGuidelines) and fixed the
warnings of rpmlint. The corresponding new specification file and source RPM
are to be found here:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spec URL: http://denisarnaud.fedorapeople.org/newmat/11/1/newmat.spec
SRPM URL:
http://denisarnaud.fedorapeople.org/newmat/11/1/newmat-11-1.fc10.src.rpm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

and it builds nicely on all architectures:
http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/taskinfo?taskID=1409984

So, following are a few points, in no particular order, that I have fixed in my
version of the specification file (and with the patch):
 0. I have renamed the package from 'libnewmat' into 'newmat', as it matches
upstream naming (http://www.robertnz.net/ftp/newmat11.tar.gz). See
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging/NamingGuidelines#General_Naming for
further details.

 1. License. Please have a look at
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging/LicensingGuidelines and
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Licensing#SoftwareLicenses . For instance,
"Public Use" does not exist. In my version of the spec file, I have used
"Public Domain", which is acceptable for Fedora. However, it would be better to
contact upstream (robert at statsresearch.co.nz), in order to clarify the
license issue and potentially explicitly add a license file, if so intended.

 2. Use of the exit() function in the upstream code (myexcept.cpp). 'rpmlint
-i' states:
"newmat.x86_64: W: shared-lib-calls-exit /usr/lib64/libnewmat.so.11.1
exit at GLIBC_2.2.5
This library package calls exit() or _exit(), probably in a non-fork()
context. Doing so from a library is strongly discouraged - when a library
function calls exit(), it prevents the calling program from handling the
error, reporting it to the user, closing files properly, and cleaning up any
state that the program has. It is preferred for the library to return an
actual error code and let the calling program decide how to handle the
situation."
I have thus written a patch
(http://denisarnaud.fedorapeople.org/newmat/11/1/newmat-11-fix-exit-issue.patch)
fixing that issue. That patch should be submitted/proposed upstream (as I have
just coded a work-around, which upstream may not find appropriate).

 3. Dynamic library. Usually, the library is set to be executable when
installed:
 install -p -D -m 0755 lib/lib%{name}.so
%{buildroot}%{_libdir}/lib%{name}.so.%{version}
where %{version} is the full version (e.g., '11.1')

------------------

If you agree with the above, and you contact upstream for the corresponding
issues (license, exit() function), and if upstream is fine with the license
("Public Domain"), I shall approve that package.

-- 
Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are on the CC list for the bug.