[linux-dvb] Re: State of the API?

[Johannes Stezenbach <js@convergence.de>]

On Tue, Oct 01, 2002 at 02:48:47PM +0200, Holger Waechtler wrote:
> Ismo.Peltonen@iptime.fi wrote:
> >On Tue, Oct 01, 2002 at 07:28:29AM +0200, Holger Waechtler wrote:
> >
> >>The API documentation you talk about is the one of the 'old' driver.
> >>This API is pretty stable in the sense that the driver will only get
> >>bug-fixed, new development is going into an extra branch in CVS, marked
> >>by the tag NEWSTRUCT.
> >>
> >>There you'll find a short HOWTO which describes the API changes.
> >
> >
> >OK, so the API document is old and describes the old API, and while a
> >new API is in the works, it just hasn't been documented yet (as in API
> >specification)?
> 
> No, beside the HOWTO, the examples in the DVB/apps/ directory and the 
> comments in the source there is no written documentation yet.

There's no specific plan for API changes to come, we make changes in an
ad hoc manner when we see the need for them. This means that
documentation will be written after the fact, if at all...

> >I do know about NEWSTRUCT (and have it checked out), I was just assuming
> >that the latest existing document is still the basis for the driver.
> 
> no, the API has changed, but these changes are outlined in the HOWTO I 
> mentioned. You'll find it in the doc directory.

The branch is labeled "NEWSTRUCT", not "NEWAPI", because the intention
was to improve the internal structure of the driver, to maximize code
sharing between different DVB drivers, and to provide a common
foundation for future driver development.

The API changes were done ad hoc and should be documented when we are
confident that they are stable. I wished that there had been more
discussion on this list about the gory details of e.g. the changes
to the frontend API. But it's never too late for that.

Our plan is the merge NEWSTRUCT into the CVS trunk when NEWSTRUCT
is stable, and the major DVB applications are ported to use it.


> >>There is no documentation maintainer right now, that's why it is pretty
> >>outdated. Feel free to contribute!
> >
> >
> >I will.. I had considered writing a new API specification already,
> >trying to fix the worst problems in the old API document.
> >
> >Then the question rather becomes, who owns the document? It's (C)
> >Convergence but published without fees, so if I do rewrite the API
> >documentation, what's the legal status?

Please don't confuse copyright and licensing. The current API
documentation was written by Ralph and Marcus for Convergence,
so the Copyright for the document in its current state belongs
to Convergence.

However, it was our understanding that the documentation was
going along with GPL software, and thus is itself GPL.

> See the mail from Johannes too, Convergence decided to change all 
> licenses to plain GPL, no double licensing schemes anymore.

To clarify the licensing, we will change the lincense for
the API documentation to the GNU Free Documentation License (FDL,
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#FDL). I will change
the title page to say so explicitly, and add a text version
of the FDL to CVS branch NEWSTRUCT.


Regards,
Johannes


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