[gfsd]Recommendation for FTP site for Java libraries

[Bradley M. Kuhn]

I think that it makes sense for GNU Java libraries (gnu.*) to be put under:

  ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/java/<LIBRARY_NAME>

We already have 10 or so GNU Java libraries, and we will likely get many
more donated as the free software Java implementation becomes more standard
(e.g., as gcj integration with GCC stabilities).

I think it is useful to have a special sub-directory for Java libraries,
instead of polluting the top-level directory with them.  Basically, I am
thinking that "ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/java/"; would be FTP directory for Java
developers looking for free software libraries and tools, not for end-users
looking for a program to solve a particular problem.

In addition, I see no reason to segregate end-user programs that happen to
be written in Java (such as GNU Paperclips) in this manner.  Our end-users
rarely care what language a program is written in, as long as it's free
software and gets the job done.  Now that it's feasible to run Java programs
easily on free software systems, I see no reason to segregate end-user
programs that happen to be written in Java.


Does anyone object to these ideas?

And, if there are no objections, should we follow the same policy on the
website and in the Free Software Directory?  (I noticed, for example, on the
website, that "programs that happen to be written in Java" are still
segregated in the same way "libraries for use in Java development" are.)



As a side note, we might want to consider this same approach with Perl
modules, if it comes up.  (Note that we haven't directly faced this problem
yet, as we have no GNU software Perl modules, just "GNU programs that happen
to be written in Perl" (such as Stow).)