4 ms·

True, but there's not a simple, unified way to maintain packages across all major platforms that does not involve having your own package manager like Cargo.

flukus 9y ago
No there isn't. That doesn't mean a rust platform has to be created that sits on top of the system.
- kbenson 9y ago
  Well, there is benefit to the platform, I think you've just misinterpreted it's use. Cargo is to Rust as cpan (the client) is to Perl, as pip is to Python, and as gem is to Ruby. All those other languages also have packages provided in many distros, but the developtment tool listed that downloads and installs relevant packages is also used when appropriate. For the regular, non-developer user that needs a module to support some program, that may be never. For the developer working in those languages that needs the newest version of the package, regardless of the back-patching policy of their distro, that may be often.
  - flukus 9y ago
    > Cargo is to Rust as cpan (the client) is to Perl, as pip is to Python, and as gem is to Ruby. As I said, rust is meant to be a systems language, it shouldn't have an equivalent of cpan and, pip or gem because it needs to work with the system, not be yet another platform.
    - kbenson 9y ago
      > rust is meant to be a systems language It's meant to useful as a systems language, so was designed with certain constraints in mind. It is whatever people want to make of it. There have been plenty of instances I've seen on HN alone of people mentioning use that isn't specifically tailored for a systems language. > it shouldn't have an equivalent of cpan and, pip or gem because it needs to work with the system, not be yet another platform. Those are entirely orthogonal issues. Cargo works with the system just as well as tar and make. They're just binaries. You could just as easily say that traditional source tarballs shouldn't be provided because people might download the source and use their compiler to build instead of using the distro package. This is a non-issue. The only people that will even have the choice are those that chose to install the compiler (whether it be a C compiler or Rust), and even then the vast majority that actually do so will probably end up having a good reason for doing so. Cargo is part of the build tool chain. Just because it can be used to distribute a package, and even while it probably will be used to distribute a package, that doesn't mean it's purpose is to do so, or that it's inappropriate that it exists. Any feature can be abused. You should not judge it by the abuse, but by its intended and common use.

flukus 9y ago

No there isn't. That doesn't mean a rust platform has to be created that sits on top of the system.

kbenson 9y ago
Well, there is benefit to the platform, I think you've just misinterpreted it's use. Cargo is to Rust as cpan (the client) is to Perl, as pip is to Python, and as gem is to Ruby. All those other languages also have packages provided in many distros, but the developtment tool listed that downloads and installs relevant packages is also used when appropriate. For the regular, non-developer user that needs a module to support some program, that may be never. For the developer working in those languages that needs the newest version of the package, regardless of the back-patching policy of their distro, that may be often.
- flukus 9y ago
  > Cargo is to Rust as cpan (the client) is to Perl, as pip is to Python, and as gem is to Ruby. As I said, rust is meant to be a systems language, it shouldn't have an equivalent of cpan and, pip or gem because it needs to work with the system, not be yet another platform.
  - kbenson 9y ago
    > rust is meant to be a systems language It's meant to useful as a systems language, so was designed with certain constraints in mind. It is whatever people want to make of it. There have been plenty of instances I've seen on HN alone of people mentioning use that isn't specifically tailored for a systems language. > it shouldn't have an equivalent of cpan and, pip or gem because it needs to work with the system, not be yet another platform. Those are entirely orthogonal issues. Cargo works with the system just as well as tar and make. They're just binaries. You could just as easily say that traditional source tarballs shouldn't be provided because people might download the source and use their compiler to build instead of using the distro package. This is a non-issue. The only people that will even have the choice are those that chose to install the compiler (whether it be a C compiler or Rust), and even then the vast majority that actually do so will probably end up having a good reason for doing so. Cargo is part of the build tool chain. Just because it can be used to distribute a package, and even while it probably will be used to distribute a package, that doesn't mean it's purpose is to do so, or that it's inappropriate that it exists. Any feature can be abused. You should not judge it by the abuse, but by its intended and common use.