1 10 January 2021🔗ℹ

Sage L. Gerard (base64-decode #"c2FnZUBzYWdlZ2VyYXJkLmNvbQ")

I’ve started this development journal to track activity that does not fit in a comment or a changelog. Note that everything I write is in my own words, with the expectation that you understand what Denxi is and what I am trying to do by making it.

I invite constructive criticism in terms of what you read here. That will help improve plans before any code changes. I emphasize “constructive,” because I am not being paid to work on Denxi. Respect little red hens, get cake.

1.1 Denxi to Lose Fixed Taxonomy, Gain Configurable Canon🔗ℹ

Denxi uses fixed taxa: provider, brand, edition, and revision. The user may freely define the meaning of strings used in each taxon. This wasn’t good enough to keep naming methods flexible because the taxa was prescribed, and not necessarily consistent with a user’s logic.

This is a large, breaking change that I intend to have finished by 31 March 2021. Users will experience a smaller interface from Denxi, but will no longer be able to construct package queries. Instead, all discovery information for packages become user-defined.

1.2 Client-side Refactoring of Racket Packages🔗ℹ

After the above refactor, I intend to design a Denxi launcher that downloads Racket packages and refactors the source code such that third-party collections are not installation-specific.

The consequence is that users use Racket packages, but completely escape the Racket package management system in doing so. I’m excited about this use case because it involves removing one key element of uncertainty when predicting what a Racket program will do when you run it.

A collection path that isn’t built into your Racket installation can mean just about anything. Users do thankfully control what collection paths resolve to, but other Racket programmers decide them first. I can, in theory, download a Racket package that claims every possible collection path in an installation such that all future installations encounter conflicts. That and a few other reasons made me avoid use of raco pkg and third party collections in my future projects. Hopefully with this launcher, others can do the same.